CoA: James Miles
by 0ranos
Summary: A story in the CoA series, spearheaded by Slop Doggy. A group of fictionalized authors gathers together to fight off a great evil. See Any of the CoA member's profiles for more details.
1. Chapter 1

I've convinced myself I'm not dreaming. It's a hazard to think that this all might be a dream, or that it isn't real; if it isn't, than I must stay alive, and I must focus to do that. Survival comes first, obligations second, everything else after.

I'm writing this because I think I might go insane otherwise. I lost my journal with the rest of my kit when all this insane debacle first occurred. I've been given several sheets of strange, smooth paper. It has lines on it that are blue, and red. I know it sounds strange, but it almost looks like a large sheet of candy, dressed in smart stripes.

Everything is different here – strange here. I don't know where Katie is... or my children. It pains me to think of what might have befell them. Once again, something that I must block out for the moment. It does not benefit me to think about it at the moment, so I won't. Thomas is almost fully grown now, anyway – he's thirteen, he can take care of himself. I'm only really worried about Katie, and Martha. I hope that they are alright.

I find it... difficult, to describe the world here. Nothing is what I would have expected, even in my wildest nightmares. Enormous metal buildings the likes of which I have never seen stand closer together than rifles in a magazine. I have been assured by those that I have met that they are not German, or American. I have already put out of mind the possibility that they are of the Queen. Even having been away from the Isles for so many years, I have never heard of anything like this. Some of the buildings are three times as tall as the largest building that I spied in London, back in my marine days.

The streets, at least in the city, are crowded on every side by these monstrous buildings, but there are scant people around. It is a strange thing, this world. Some portions of it are crowded with people, but most are silent as the grave. The sun shines rarely here, and the nights are filled with thunder and rain. The climate is most peculiar – even though I have been here long enough, not one day has it changed from overcast. I imagine this is what it is like for the poor Russians.

We mostly stay in the city, in these strange buildings. Once again, it seems that we are the only occupiers here. I imagine that a war of a kind that I have never before seen has swept through this place, taking all the inhabitants with it. It rings of something I was told by my instructors about Bonaparte – that in his exploits of the countryside he 'left no-one alive.'

The countryside here is strange, as well. It is almost that the surrounding land cannot make up its mind. With scant chance for the sun or the stars, and not a compass in sight, I have had a time of figuring out the directions; however, in the end I've been able to manage. I mark that to the south, there is a bay that I have only glimpsed from the top of one of these metal towers. To the north-west is a rang of bleak mountains that do not look at all pleasant. There is no jungle, which was an understandable change from my diet this past decade, but forest begins to the west and north of the city. Much of the rest is hills... dotted by lakes and run-down shacks. There is a watchtower that is very defensible some ways north-west of the city, towards the mountains. I must keep it in mind, should the need arise for a safe hideaway.

What I mean about the country not being able to make up it's mind is this – the closer to the coast, it is warm and even tropical, much like the climate of my post in India. However, the climate changes almost every half-hour closer to the mountains, which are capped with snow all the time I have been here. It is, indeed, quite a strange puzzle, and one I don't feel I am equipped to ponder. The greatest experts I know of would certainly be scratching their heads.

It is strange, then, that I can relax at all. Of course, it may be pointed out, I have not relaxed, at least no completely, in the two weeks that I have been here. Time is twisted here as well, with the days going sometimes slower than the last. People I have seen one day appear much older, or even younger, the next. I find myself completely encased by the foreignness of it all.

Duly, I note that I could waste several sheets of this precious paper going on about all the strange things here, but I do not believe that would be time well spent. I must endeavor to instead record the events that befell me these past weeks, and organize them into some sort of coherent whole. I should remind myself that nothing here is the same as it was back home, and even more dangerous than in all of the campaigns I have ever been in. I must endeavor to survive.

Before the Event, I was almost home. I had been given leave after the capture of one of the native's battalions in the area; it was amazing to me at the time the sheer deprivation and lowness that the natives of the area find themselves in. Their living conditions are deplorable, and, though their spirit strong, their conflict hopeless. Their battalions could hardly be termed such, especially since the capture of their capital, recorded elsewhere.

The Commander, therefore, had given me a needed break, especially as the season for campaigning ended. We were to ship back to our fort on Singapore Island, and were to stay there (comfortably), until the intervening flu season was ended. It was a shame that the climate in the area kept us from fighting for some of the year, but any excuse to get back to Katie was an excuse I did not mind in the slightest.

The boat was unpleasant, the Captain doubly so. He was a true bowl of a man, with whiskers that, rather than make him dashing, made him appear slightly like some of the apes I have heard tales of. In fact, I had to severely discipline one of my Privates – and enlisted man – for laughing at him when he first walked by. Regardless of personal feelings, certainly courtesies had to be observed, especially since this man (one Captain Braeson, as I later learned) controlled whether we got back to the colony at Singapore or not.

It does not take long to get from the mainland to the island, as I have stated before. My naval compatriots have informed me that it has something to do with the currents around Singapore – apparently, they are the best in the region, which is why the island is now a possession of Her Majesty.

However, this time, things unrolled differently, to my great dismay. A typhoon hit us the day before the Thanksgiving holiday (something which, I'm sure, has shaken my faith more sincerely than anything before), and tossed our transport vessel more readily than a small child would handle a toy soldier.

Of course, I had been trained for this, as had my fellow officers. Since most of our troops (myself included) cannot swim, the options were either to stick with the ship and pray for a miracle, or evacuate to the small boats; the advantage of this being a greater individual chance of survival if any one boat became untenable. Our group stayed with the ship as long as we could, but unfortunately, that wasn't long enough to wait out the storm. I tasted the grimy salt water of, and didn't expect to see Katie ever again.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up... somewhere else. This place. Obviously, I at first believed that I must have died, or else must be having some brand of manic hallucination. That quickly changed.

The sky was dark above me – I was in a small park much like that at the governor's residence in Singapore, only not as well manicured, and the paths overgrown and mangled. Lightning and thunder reigned above me, pierced only the brief splatter of water against the earth as rain poured down unevenly. It seemed, of course, that I had never left the storm behind me, and I still believe that, due to some strange phenomenon, I brought it through to this world with me (although I have been assured that that is not the case, I'm still not sure what to believe).

I could not, at first, process the world around me. It was just as if I had woken, startled, from a dream... It was hard to connect to my surroundings. Eventually, I stumbled up from my position, leaning against a tree, looking out at the rain falling beyond the branches. I am not proud to say that I became sick several times; my insides felt like they had the first day I had stepped onto a ship. It was like becoming a new recruit again – everything was unpleasant, and strange. There was no warmth, and precious little light, save for tall lamp-posts that I have observed glow brighter than any I have ever seen.

Overall, I had to have stood there for at least twenty minutes, although it felt like longer. I leaned against the tree, breathing heavily, and I felt for all the world like I was stripped of everything – laid bare. I wondered if this was judgment of some kind, or worse, hell. I have even now not ruled out that possibility, for some of the things I have seen seem hellish, or the worst kind of phantasm.

The first thing that convinced me that I was still alive was pain. I began to steady myself as the rain stopped, and then a flash of pain behind my eyes. I was lying on the earth, what I could only describe as a shadow man standing over me. It would almost have been comical, if I described it to anybody back in the fort. There were a pair of terrible eyes, and a salivating jaw, but beyond that, it was simply a figure made entirely out of shadow deeper than the sky above. It almost seemed to swallow the light.

I still don't know what attracted them to me, but I didn't pause to think about it at the time. I scrambled up, feeling blood drip down the back of my neck soon mingled with the rain. I became thoroughly drenched in seconds, but it didn't register compared to the chill that racked through me as the apparition moved closer. I could almost hear it's rattling breath over the sound of the thunder – it bore down on my ears and became more oppressive than any sound I have ever known.

And there were more of them; I could see them standing off under other trees, and behind me in a loose ring. I knew with a primal instinct that they would attempt to render me lifeless, most likely painfully. I didn't know at the time how close I came to a terrible fate.

I snapped a branch off the tree, and held it at arms length. Reading my previous journals, you most likely know that I am a terrible hand at swordplay – but here it was either defend or die. I had no wish to die, so I took the only other option available.

Belatedly, I felt for my pistol, but found none. As I had first suspected, my affects were completely absent – I still do not know what became of them. I may have lost them in the storm before ever I came here.

The creatures... stretched closer. They have an odd manner of movement, almost like a liquid in their viscosity, and they walk with a gait wholly unrecognizable as anything human. I have never seen it, not even among the native tribes I have fought. I am sure that these beasts were not of man – or even of God.

I fended them off with several well aimed attacks, but I knew it could not last. Their ring was slowly closing in, and I knew that the base branch I had was no saber: I could not hold them. I tried my best – I even made two of the beasts disappear.

The way they attacked was just as odd as their movement. They seemed to have a kind of rhythm to it – a pattern, almost like one of the equations they drilled into my head at school. Somehow, I managed to adapt myself to oppose this pattern – they almost signaled their moves to my beforehand, and I managed to stab off several of them.

Off in the distance, there was a yell. I do not know to whom it belonged, but they may have saved my life. The beasts looked up, sniffing at the air as if hunting dogs. I could have sworn that they could literally tell where the scream had come from simply... smelling it. I could tell whoever it was was certainly female – I felt a pang of fear for Katie.

Several of the shadows disappeared – melting away almost like smoke from a rifle. While they were distracted, I stabbed one of them directly in front of me, and broke for the edge of the park. I did not know if I could outrun them, but I calculated that my only option was, indeed, to run.

I could still hear them, following me. One stepped out from behind a building as I reached the edge of the park. Some of the streets were covered in darkness, the shade of the buildings bordering producing almost a void in the road. I could see dozens of pairs of eyes looking out at me from these spaces. I dodged away, running instead down the broad avenues that at least had a little light from the lamps.

Eventually, I knew that somehow, I had lost them. I slowed down, my heart beating faster than I thought possible. I had not been this unnerved, even during my first engagement. There was nothing right, or holy about the kind of fighting I had to engage in – simply to preserve my sanity.

There was a large, stone tower at the end of the avenue that looked more familiar than any other of the glass-covered monsters. A sign I could barely make out pronounced it the 'Manis Historic Tower,' with the date of our lord 1827. I noted that the building looked very run down for an installation built only twenty-five years before, but did not think more of it at the time.

I was cautious now, but the lamps alive at the street corners around me seemed to have kept any pursuers at bay. I took several hesitant paces around the grounds, looking for any signs of occupants, but found none. I went up to the door to find it slightly ajar.

Cautious, I pushed forward on the heavy metal hinges. Inside I could hear the gentle dripping of water on stone. The sound comforted me, for I heard nothing else. Of course, I had half expected some sort of garrison in the tower, at least – but that would have made too much sense for a place such as this.

I stepped in, taking one final look behind at the surrounding plaza. I would have to create better defenses in the morning – their were trees lining the walk leading up to the tower. Perhaps I could arrange a fairly stable position, since the tower was on a slight rise.

The door closed behind me as I walked further in. There was no sign of movement, of life, anywhere. I couldn't even spot provisions, or and of the trademarks that would have shown any occupation of the tower at all. There was only a small, leaning desk with cold paper pamphlets – such as one might find for a circus or show. I dusted the top off of the desk, to find that the layer of the stuff was more thick than any laid in the last ten years – the place must have been emptied before that.

There was a staircase that led around the wall up to another level above – and, I quickly found out, the stairs went around the tower several more floors, for a total of four. The trapdoor to the roof was locked, and I had no way of penetrating through it. There were windows on every floor at what I can only assume were the four compass directions. I looked out, but could not see anybody approaching the tower. The rain had ceased, and it made me feel marginally more secure.

I paused to consider my next step. I had no allies, no way of contacting any support. I was completely on my own, and there was an enemy outside of an undetermined number or origin. Needless to say, it appeared rather bleak. My only comfort was that it appeared that the creatures had limitations. However, I was not certain what exactly those were.

The thought, I remember, at the top of my mind was how on earth I was here, and how I could possibly get back. There was no way that I knew of: I didn't even know how I came to be in this strange place in the first instance.

"I might be able to help you with that."

I spun around, aiming my branch at the darkness. I could not tell which direction specifically the voice had come from, but I was now on the alert.

"Show yourself!" I demanded. "I have no desire injure you!"

There was a laugh. The voice seemed next to be very close by my ears, causing hairs to rise on my neck. I spun around, but there was nobody. "You're threatening me with a stick," the voice mocked.

"Who are you?" I yelled again. "Where are you."

"Please, relax," the Voice came again. "I'm not going to attack you, either."

"Prove it, and come out into the light," I suggested, breathing heavily.

A figure slowly stepped out into the middle of the floor. I was certain that no-one had been in the tower, so I was immediately suspicious.

"What nation do you call home?" I asked, a standard question for an adversary. This man, in a cloak almost as dark as that of the shadows, laughed again.

"That's... complicated," he said. I could see a grin on his face. "Let's skip that question – for now."

"Then are you a mercenary?" I questioned. A worse possibility occurred to me. "Are you – are you one of those... things?"

The man looked questioningly at me. "What things?" he stared for several long seconds until a look of understanding came over him. "Ah," he sighed. "You mean the Servants – the demons that attacked you."

"Yes," I nodded.

The man's gaze hardened. It was difficult to tell in the light, but he looked younger than I, even though he held an air of someone with power. I wondered if he was a dignitary or officer of some kind. His English certainly was not of the King's variety, but of an untraceable accent. "No. I am not with them. In fact, quite the opposite. They are our enemies."

"'Our'?" I asked. "Who is 'our'?"

"You know, I saw you back there," the man said, irreverently dodging the question. "That wasn't half bad."

"What?" I stopped. "What do you mean?"

"The Servants, you fighting them off – some people don't last that long."

"You're raising more questions, man; goddammit!" I yelled, getting frustrated, still waving my branch at him. "Where the hell am I, who are you, and what are we both doing here?"

"Well, I can only answer one of those," the man sighed again. He moved off toward the window. "Out there, it's... Auruboth. The First World. The World Between, call it whatever you want. It's not a place one gets to easily."

"What am I doing here?" I asked again, a bit more calm now. I was finally getting somewhere, even if there was no way I trusted this cloaked man yet.

"I can't answer that..." the man said. "Only you can."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded. "Who are you?"

"Most people just call me Slop Doggy," the man said. I had him repeat it several times.

"Is that even a name?" I asked, not sure of what I had heard.

"No, but it's better than nothing." Under his breath, I thought he muttered "better than my real one, anyway."

"Alright, erm... Mr. Doggy," I stumbled. "What, pray-tell, do you want?"

"Well, that depends," the man said. I decided I would assign him a name other than the one he had given me, at least in my head. Off a random impulse, I settled on Russel, after the Prime Minister of several years back. Russel continued without hearing the debate in my head. "Do you want to get back home?"

I stopped, thinking before answering. This sounded like a trap, if ever I had smelt one. "Yes," I decided it was safe to answer, "I would like to get home. Of course I do. Why?"

The man... Russel spread his hands. "Well, I can make that happen," he said simply.

"There's a saying – nothing's done without reciprocal," I said slowly. "What do you want?"

"Well, I won't lie," Russel said. "I have... certain needs. We have certain needs – objectives, really. My group. For right now, you can just think of us as the Coalition."

"The Coalition?" I asked. "Of what countries?"

"Not countries," Russel said, shaking his thick head of brown hair. I wasn't sure that he had cut his hair in the past year. "People. A Coalition of individuals... individuals of talent."

"I don't understand," I said.

Russel sighed again. "Those things that you fought – those Servants. At the moment, they're restricted here, in this world. Obviously, you've figured out that this world is set apart – I can tell you're smart. However, there's a chance that they might soon expand into other worlds... yours, for example."

The thought of those creatures terrorizing all those that I knew back home sent shivers of terror through me. "No," I whispered.

"Yep," Russel said sadly. "They aren't even the worst part. They aren't the only minions of Kuroouja – he's the leader of the enemy. You could call him a king."

"This.... Kuroouja," I said. "He has armies?"

"Many armies," Russel nodded gravely. "Our Coalition's sole purpose is to stop him. To avenge the wrongs that he's caused, and to protect the worlds that haven't yet been corrupted by him."

At the center of my being, there was a feeling. A feeling of need to fight against this evil that I had just encountered, and which this man was fighting against. However, practical concerns were still at the top of my mind.

"What do you want me to do? When can you send me home? I assume you can, correct?"

"Yes, I can, definitely," Russel said, moving closer. He touched my branch which I still had up loosely, and I slowly lowered it. "All I want is your help. Your participation and expertise. I can send you home as soon as you're no longer needed."

"And when," I asked, "is that?"

He shrugged. "It depends on how effective you are. How good we all are."

I thought about it. "I don't suppose there's anybody else who could send me home?" I asked, finally. Of course, this man probably wouldn't tell me the truth in that regard, but I had to ask anyway.

"There are others," he said, to my surprise. "But none that would help you. None that would give you as easy a way out as me."

"It doesn't seem that I have a choice," I sighed. I reached out my hand. Russel looked at it blankly for a moment, but then shook. I reminded myself once again that I was in a strange land. I needed allies, and this... 'Slop Doggy' seemed to have his bearing. "I suppose you have a defensible shelter?" I asked next. Only then did I realize how hungry I was. The last food I had had was hard biscuits, and only then, they had been what seemed ages before. "And food?"

"Yeah, actually," he said. "We do." He seemed to think about something for a moment, and then nodded over to the wall. "Just walk through there."

I looked over, following his gaze, to see a slightly glowing gap in the wall that hadn't been there before. It was almost like a newly hung mirror, only filled with smoke, with only the fainest hint of what lay beyond.

He nodded again. "Go ahead." Then, he changed his tack. "Actually, how about I go first?"

I liked that better. He walked ahead, and I followed, keeping my eye on him. I had apparently allied myself with him, but I was still on guard. I hadn't made it to as high as I had without learning to turn distrust to a default system.

We walked through the portal, which felt almost exactly as I would've expected – like walking through a wall of crystallized smoke. It was as if I could feel every bead of air on my body, and then I was through.

This room was much more different than the previous. It was brightly lit, and it had bright furniture of the kind I had never seen. Several people stood up when I entered, and I saw Russel stand off to one side.

"Everybody," Russel gestured to me. "This is Miles."

I didn't remember telling him my name, but shrugged off the discrepancy. The others looked at me not quite as distrustfully as I looked at them. They were stiff, but I knew I was piercing.

They were certainly an odd looking Coalition. One of them looked older than Russel, and perhaps around my age – he was dressed in strange clothes. In fact, they all were. Bright colors, and styles I was no familiar with. My military uniform felt suddenly strangely out of place, and I almost regretted it.

There was another man, a Negro, whom looked quite intimidating. The other two, I'm not ashamed to admit, I first thought to be the other two's wives. One looked to be around the age of Russel, and the other looked only as old as my Martha. However, the look in both of their eyes was at the same time more dull and more sharp than any I had every seen in a woman before. They both bore an air that I was unaccustomed to except in the wives of my enemies.

Suddenly, I started. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted to strange creatures coming closer. One looked almost akin to a lizard out of Satan's own kitchen, and the other almost like the demon cats the natives of Singapore sometimes said guarded their dead children's souls. I will say that I was most unnerved.

"Woah, easy," one of the women, the elder, called out. The growling from the cat beast stopped, and the lizard-like creature did not come closer. I breathed a sigh of relief.

The younger woman stepped closer, inspecting me incredibly closely. "Uh... miss?" I asked uncertainly. "Miss, it is-"

"Miles, huh?" she asked, looking at my uniform. "Where'd you find him? A costume party?"

"Close," Russel said, a small smile barely tinging his lips. "Chloe, I think he's from the past... or something like that. A world in the past. It doesn't matter."

"Is he any good?" the man about my age asked, sitting down again. He drew what I could only guess was a firearm, and began polishing it with the air of a habit practiced often.

"We'll find out," Russel said. He went over to the window of the room, and I looked over to see – with a start – that the ground was very far below. We were near one of the top of the monolithic glass buildings.

Everyone started to relax, and the younger woman sat down. I did not sit, not the least reason because I was incredibly uncomfortable with the entire situation. I feel the need to point out that the women were wearing men's working clothes – something which they've assured me ever since is normal where they come from, but I have an extensively hard time believing.

Russel stiffened suddenly. Then, he looked at the group on the couches. "I'll be back," he said. "Something I have to attend to." He walked out through a door, and I suppose I understood that he had somehow gone farther than that. There was silence in the room for several pained moments.

"Alright, I guess we should... exchange names," the elder woman said, with an air of having done this before. "Since I was the first person to join up with this circus, I'll got first – I'm Momentai. Fast version: Mr. Growls-a-lot is mine. I met up with Slop after a long and strange series of events, and ever since we've been gathering more people. I can make trees beat you up. Next?"

"Momentai," I repeated, interrupting. "That sounds oriental. Are you-"

The woman shrugged. I bristled a little bit. I wasn't accustomed to such rudeness in civilized conversation, even with enemies.

"This is stupid," the younger woman grumbled, but then she relented. "I'm Chloe. I'm incredibly unbalanced, and I'll probably kill you." The woman – Momentai elbowed her. "Fine. Asumon here," she gestured to the demon lizard, "is mine. He's probably smarter than you."

"Thanks," the lizard said happily. I stared horrified at it.

"Oh," Chloe added, "and I can see everything about you. Well, not everything. But I can see... things. About you. Whatever – who's next?"

The Negro spoke next. "Spryous," he said simply. "I burn things, and I can go anywhere I want. Simple as that." He shifted uncomfortably. "And I don't like introductions," he said.

"I guess that leaves me," the last man said. "You can call me HT. I like you – I respect a good military man, and you seem like the type. I'd love to swap stories with you sometime, when we're not busy... I was in the military."

"Really?" I asked, honestly interested. "Which branch... and for whom?"

"Branch..." he paused for a moment, thinking it over. "The Special Forces branch... I'm not sure if that exists for you." I shook my head slowly. "I was inserted into... sensitive situations. Tight spots."

"Alright," I said, at least understanding the concept.

"Now what about you?" HT asked.

"Well, I..." I thought about it. "My name is James Miles of Her Majesties Service-"

"God, he's a _limey_," Chloe muttered. "Fucking _A_."

I ignored her... barely. "I was stationed in Singapore with my wife and children. I got in a storm at sea, and here I am."

"Huh," Momentai said slowly. "It never happens the same way twice. I mean, I don't think we've ever seen anybody from the past before. I wonder what caused it?"

"I don't know that, myself," I said politely. "I enlisted with this group because your leader said he could get me home."

"Oh, a means to and end, huh?" Spryous raised an eyebrow. "Wonderful." I could tell the others were a bit disappointed as well.

"Not exactly," I responded. "I assure you I will commit my best efforts towards your cause."

"You know what?" Momentai said slowly, looking at the others. "I think I believe him."

"Figures," Chloe muttered. "God. Just what we needed." She looked up at me. "I don't suppose you have any weapons... or powers?"

"I... erm... no," I said lamely.

"Slop must've had a reason for picking him," HT shrugged.

"Yes, well..." I sighed. "I'm sorry, but is there anything to eat?"

"What? Oh, sure," Momentai nodded, pointing back towards an area that looked like a kitchen – only covered in glass that made it shine under the impossibly bright lights in the ceiling. "Over in the fridge – er, icebox or whatever."

"Thank-you," I bowed slightly, and walked over to the kitchen area. It was strange. Every surface was cool to the touch. Everything shine, brighter than the silverware at the governor's table in Singapore. I opened a cupboard, only to find what looked like boxes. Colored boxes.

I took one out, and turned it over several times in my hands.

"Oh my god," Momentai sighed, watching me. She got up, and walked over, taking the box from my hand. She took out a bowl, and opened the box, pouring a stream of some kind of grains... like oats... into the bowl. "It's cereal," she said slowly, as if I were a child. She got out a spoon, and handed it to me. After that, she opened the large white box, from which cold air emanated, and brought out a smaller white box. From this she poured – to my astonishment – cold milk.

"There," she said, satisfied. "Eat."

I sat down at a table adjacent to the kitchen, holding the bowl. I looked at it for another moment, and then took the spoon in hand. The cereal tasted like... nothing I'd ever had before. It did taste slightly what I imagined oats would taste like.

"It's good," I said after swallowing.

"Jesus H. Christ, this is gonna be a long night," Chloe groaned from the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't actually own any of the characters except for James, and arguably, some of the other original ideas that I came up with. So... now that that's out of the way...

Chapter II

"No, look. You don't say 'perchance', you say 'hey', got it?" Spryous sighed, shaking his head. "You've got to cut that 'ye olde english' stuff." He leaned back into the couch, exasperated.

"I apologize," James bowed his head, tapping his fingers against the table. "I simply cannot concentrate properly on this at the moment."

"Don't worry about it," Spryous reassured. "I told you, they're not little, defenseless girls or anything. They as good in a scrape as any of us. They'll be fine. Besides, Slop usually arrives at the right moment if any of us are in a tight spot."

James stared at the other man for a moment. "I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure I understood you," he said. "But I certainly understand your meaning. I must admit that it's strange to think of Momentai and Chloe as soldiers."

"That's because we're not soldiers," Spryous said, getting up. He walked into the other room, and poured himself a cool glass of orange juice. The sound of the air conditioning slowly cranking away in the corner made James twitch. He got up as well, and followed Spryous into the other room. He took a seat by the huge window that made up one wall, looking out at the gray world beyond. "I mean, we _did_ all come here for a reason, way I figure it; so what do we have to worry about? It's just a matter of Slop figuring out how to go about doing it."

"I did hear HT mention some kind of plan," James nodded. "Then, are we in possession of a stratagem?"

Spryous shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, we keep the Servants away, and we take down some of the greater Oni that are roaming around, but we can't do much more than that, at the moment."

James sighed internally. Even after a week among these people, he still couldn't understand their lack of direction. They had a goal, but no means to implement it – not as such. It was beginning to look like he might be stuck here for a long time. However, he had resolved to steel himself against any despair. If there was anything he could do to hurry up the process, he would.

"Slop originally mentioned, and I have heard repeated here, this Kuroouja..." James prodded. "What of him? Where is his main realm? I assume, here. But-"

"You're wrong, actually," Spryous mentioned pointedly. "Kuroouja isn't based here. This just happens to be a place he has a lot of hold on. He's actually based on Auruboth." He moved back over from the small kitchen, taking a seat across from James on a spartan chair. He sipped his juice thoughtfully.

James stopped, his eyebrows coming down in confusion. This wasn't what Russel – Slop told him. "What do you mean? I thought we were in Auruboth?"

Spryous grinned skeptically, his pearly teeth lighting up his face behind the dark mask that covered it. "You're kidding, right?"

"Most emphatically not," James sighed, almost used now to the surprises. "Apparently I was misinformed."

"Well," Spryous visibly mulled it over. "I guess I can sort of see where that's coming from. I mean, this is a Shade of Auruboth: not the actual place."

"I don't... I don't understand," James said. He didn't flinch as thunder grumbled outside, or when the flash of more lightening threw the shadows of the room in sharp relief.

"Well, look..." Spryous scratched his bald head. He grabbed one of the tables, and slid it over. "You know how a castle works, right?"

James raised an eyebrow. "Certainly, but I fail to see how exactly-"

"Just listen," Spryous prodded. "So, the way a castle is set up," he gestured to the surface of the table, "there's a lot of land around it that's related to the castle itself, right?"

"Indeed," James nodded. "Tenants and properties tithed to it."

"Yeah," Spryous gestured then to a smaller circle. "Then there's the village directly surrounding the castle." James agreed, and the other man finally gestured to an even smaller oval. "Then, you've got the moat directly outside the walls. Well, this world we're in right now is kind of like part of the moat."

"I believe I understand," James said surprisedly, realization dawning. "I kind of antechamber, or entryway?"

Spryous nodded. "Basically. There's a couple worlds, realms, that you can't avoid if you want to get to Auruboth. They're the highest you can get without some... conditions met. They're the closest related to Auruboth, too. The farther down the ladder you get, then the less recognizable the worlds become. Your planet, from what Slop said, is somewhere on the Second Tier. That means that only the First Tier – where we are now, is between your world and Auruboth. I guess it should be pretty easy to get you back to your home if you had the means – only one cut."

"Cut?"

"Yeah, a cut," Spryous continued. "It's what Slop and HT and them call traveling through the walls between the worlds. They make a little cut in the fabric, then close it up behind them."

"How?" James asked, honestly curious. Of all the strange things that he had witnessed since arriving in this world, it seemed that traveling between these... 'dimensions' was the oddest. "It should be by all rights impossible."

"An art that Slop picked up... it's a pretty big deal, actually. Authorian; it's what allows them to go between, and all that. Seriously dangerous though – if you're not careful, apparently you could lose yourself. Not pretty," Spryous explained. "It's one of the reasons we're all here. Kuroouja is looking for it, some way of controlling it. If he could, then he could... do a lot of stuff. Bad stuff."

"How does one travel to Auruboth, then?" James asked. "If we're in this First Tier, as you say."

Spryous shifted uncomfortably. "Actually... we don't exactly know yet. Slop's testing out different ways every day, but he only knows so much, you know? We have a general idea... but we're not exactly sure."

James sighed. "So the plot thickens..." He got up, moving over to the kitchen. He poured himself some cereal – the kind that made strange popping noises, almost like tiny infantry, when he poured the 'refrigerated' milk into it.

"It's not all bad," Spryous tried to say, coming over. He rinsed out his glass, setting it into his corner of the kitchen. "We're basically just recruiting right now, alright? At least, that's what Momentai said. We'll get into operations proper after Slop says so-"

"I suppose I can accept orders to wait from a superior officer..." James reasoned, mouth half full. "But you must understand what kind of a position it places me. I feel relentlessly useless. I had a purpose, back in my world – it may not have been the noblest at times, but it kept me exceedingly busy. I was proud of the work I did for the Crown."

"Yeah, every one of us gets that, James. But hey, in another week or two we'll be neck deep in all kinds of stuff... so whatever."

"I cannot see how you could be so blasé about all this. All of you," James yelled out in sudden passion, "most of you are just children! My God! What kind of world is it that the responsibility to do this falls on you all? That man... Slop, however he wants to be called... how does he know what he's doing is correct? This is all the opposite of what a planned campaign _should_ be! There's no strategy, nothing more than a wishful goal!"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Spryous put his hands up. "You're frustrated... you're not used to doing things our way."

"There isn't even any 'way' that you are accomplishing anything," James grumbled. "It's like being with new recruits – you all don't have any idea what you are getting into... I don't know what I must have been thinking when I entered into this agreement."

"You want to leave?" Spryous gestured to the door. As the other man glared at him, James felt the air around become strangely warmer. "Well, there's the exit. Nobody's holding you to this, you know."

"Dammit... that's the worst part of it," James agreed grudgingly. "I have to stay here, don't I? No other option presents itself."

"Look," Spryous sat down again, his voice softening, "you can talk with Slop about it when you get a chance. Maybe he needs another strategist. I don't know... I'm not his personal secretary or anything... but if you want something to do, you can either help us knock down as many of the demons as you can, or contribute in another way. For the past week, I know you and I have both pretty much been stuck here... but there's this weird 'new kid' thing going on, alright? It was the same for me. Chloe and Momentai had their own club going on, and I wasn't invited. But as soon as someone new comes along... trust me, you'll fit right in."

James took another bite of the cereal. He didn't feel like arguing further – it would accomplish nothing. He moved towards the door. "I need to take another tour of the building... it's been two hours."

"Right," Spryous nodded, fiddling with what looked like a small ball of fire in his palm. He made it do tricks around his fingers. "Go ahead."

Sentry duty was at least something James was familiar with. Something he understood, even if the environment had changed. He walked down the hallway and took the door out to the stairwell – the simple length of the stairway reminded him of one of the castles he had read about but never visited. He imagined almost that they were in a castle, only one composed of metal and glass. It was the romantic in him – it never really abated.  
He checked every floor as quickly as possible, checking for anything out of the ordinary. The various rooms' doors were never closed – something James had suggested during his first sentry duty. He looked briefly into every room, making sure nothing had been touched. He went down, floor by floor – there were twelve. Everything seemed the same... every room exactly the same as the one before. It seemed almost like a palace from a story, all the rooms in the building.

He did notice that the largest room was the one his adopted group now occupied – which, he had to admit, made sense.

The walk allowed him to mull over his thoughts. He couldn't reconcile himself with all that was going on – or what was expected of him. He'd just have to resolve that as soon as possible. It still bugged him that Chloe was only 13... even if she was, by all accounts, a seasoned fighter (if thoroughly unpleasant on occasion. Of all of them, she seemed to like him the least). It all seemed so absurd, as if it had been dreamed up by some strange writer of fictions.

There was an explanation for everything – of that James was certain. There had to be a reason he was here. It only made sense. God did not simply send people on journeys like this without reason. No, there was something enormous going on around him; he could even almost believe everything that Spryous and the other told him.

No, he still simply missed his world. His family. He couldn't deny it. The more he tried to push them away, the more it pained him. And that was the strange thing about it – he had been away on campaigns for a year, and never felt like this. He was a seasoned veteran for heaven's sake. He shouldn't be acting like this.

Perhaps it was his simple inability to get back. Before, on campaign, there was always the promise that he would eventually get back... it was only a matter of miles between him and his family. Between him and Katie. But now, it was so much more than that – an entire universe separated them.

Still, he had to remember that the promise of seeing her, and his family again was still there. It was simply an undefined commitment, which was nothing James was unused to. No, he had had commanding officers who simply had no idea which end was up... and had run campaigns far over schedule. So, in the end, he supposed he couldn't complain.

The lobby was the one place he didn't go. He stopped in the hallway before it, looking out into the spacious room, but not stepping into it. He was told that they couldn't go into the lobby, or else they would alert the Servants of the enemy. It was the only way in and out of the building... the only normal way.

He stopped back on the second floor, using the coffee machine in a quaint room off the main hallway. The room was tiled, and much like the kitchen back up in their room, every surface seemed cold to the touch. The chairs, even, were made of impossibly smooth and clear metal. The large window looked out onto a world that may have been the moment James had stepped into this world – everything was filled in shades of gray or black. The only difference was that it was slightly brighter than during the nights – during the long, dark nights it became nearly pitch black, and all the lights in the rooms had to be put out for fear of attracting attention.

All in all, sharing the large complex of rooms with the others was simply another cramped bunking situation that was actually much better than what James had been used to on most of the ships he had been on. It was simply a bit odd that two of the other bunk-mates were women – girls at that (apparently, Momentai was younger than he had first thought), and not even the wives of any of the male members; that misunderstanding had caused a bit of a scandal his second night, and he still had the claw marks on his calve from the large blue cat-creature.

Slop and Spryous didn't bother him. He had had younger privates, certainly. Some midshipmen were twelve. No, it wasn't that. It was simply that they didn't work by the same rules that had governed his life for so long. In an odd sort of way, in this battle he was now a part of, the allies were stranger than the enemies. HT seemed like a good man to have in an engagement – he actually reminded James of a brigadier general he had served under at one time.

But he didn't know exactly what the six of them could accomplish. It seemed all an impossible endeavor in every respect – they had no supplies, no weapons or artillery of any kind, except those they carried on them. Certainly, they had some strange magics and pets, but what good would those really do, when it came down to the actual battle? They could all take care of themselves, James was sure of that, but co-ordinated battles? He had much less faith. The group simply didn't require the discipline, strength, or – and he hated to admit it – leadership for that kind of warfare.

So what was left then? It seemed that the fight would devolve into the kind that the bushpeople he had fought so long against employed – sneaking around, attacking enough to annoy, but never enough to truly defeat. If the enemy truly was as numerous as he had been told, then there was no other method that he could see.

Perhaps they could recruit some manner of militia – only supposing that that was possible. What then? It all seemed like very long odds to James – the whole venture. And then, of course, the stronghold of the enemy was not only impenetrable – but in a completely different plane entirely, with no known means of getting at it. It was a tactical situation like none he had ever faced.

Their best hope in the end, as he saw it, was to try and (firstly) recruit more members. At least double their numbers. Then, they would have to employ troops, or at the least mercenaries, or others with a cause who would join them. Infantry were necessary, in any situation. It would certainly be more effective to have small battalions of troops, however well armed, spearheaded by one of those gifted with 'powers'. In James' opinion, it would create a semi-self-dependent fighting unit, that could act either on it's own or as a whole, as long as the leaders were willing to follow someone's orders precisely.

They needed supplies, of the military sort. Weapons, ammunition. Even with sidearms or blades things would be better than a ragtag group of claws and strange abilities. They needed modern technology of the kind that James saw all around him – of that he was certain. He was not so narrow-minded as to think that military capabilities weren't at all increased in this strange world. An improvement in engineering, metalworking, and other miracles had to correspond with an equal increase in the means of warfare. It only stood to reason.

And he needed intelligence. Intelligence of the enemy, where he was, who he was. Their weaknesses, and patterns. Were they really as numerous and invincible as they seemed to be? The answer to that question could completely change a plan.

Besides that, they needed some way into this... Auruboth. It was obviously the key to winning this engagement. It was a simple rule of warfare – capture the king and it was finished. It was even the same in the game of chess.

The problem was, he knew, that he didn't have any pieces himself yet, and didn't know where the pieces of the enemy were. That was the main problem. In fact, he didn't even really know the board. He would have to pay as much attention, ask as many questions as possible of his compatriots now. They knew more about this – as much as it grated on him, them being younger – then he did. Therefore, he had to learn from them, and had to try and integrate himself in the group as much as possible.

He looked at one of the clocks placed evenly at the end of the hallways. It was 3:40. The rest of the group would probably arrive back within the next hour or two. They said it was to be a morning mission – which normally meant it would go into the late afternoon. The lack of proper planning in relation to schedules was another thing that James couldn't really understand in the group.

He realized that he was certainly lucky in at least one respect – he was getting to experience what essentially amounted to the future. However, it wasn't of his own free will, and he knew he would leave the first chance that arrived. There was no other alternative. He didn't belong here – he knew that, and so did the others. They were much more savvy in the strange ways of this world than he was, and he wasn't sure he could be of much use in the first place.

The rain had started up again outside – not a surprise. The rain seemed to operate on a fixed schedule – it would go throughout the night, then peter out for several hours in the morning until it started again sometime in the afternoon. The lightning and thunder always continued regardless. It made it an intensive endeavor to simply think. The constant thunder kept him up the entire first two nights, and he was only just getting used to it, deep rolling in the distance.

Going back up the stairs went much faster than going down. When he got back into the room, he immediately saw HT's large frame standing in the kitchen. The man was taking a long gulp of water directly from the faucet, bending his neck down and slurping loudly. His glasses were sitting, broken on the counter.

"-I mean, I'm not really that surprised," Spryous was saying to the other man as James walked in, looking out the wall with the window. He turned and saw James, and then gestured to HT. "Hey, James. HT's back."

James nodded, first in acknowledgment, and then at HT. "What word?" he asked.

HT finished another couple gulps of water, before straightening, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. James noticed that there were several holes in the jacket that had not been there before. HT started to put back on his glasses, but then grimaced at them, setting them back down.

"I'll have to get those fixed," he grumbled. He looked at James. "Like I was just telling Spryous, things aren't too hot out there."

"I can't say this comes as a complete surprise," James said. He moved further into the room, taking a seat on one of the couches.

"That's what I said," agreed Spryous. He went over to the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. "You need something to eat?" he asked. HT shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine," HT reassured. He continued after sitting down at the table. "I mean, it wouldn't have surprised me either, except that it wasn't how we all expected it."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

HT shrugged indifferently. "Well, we went to where we were supposed to go. Slop said something about disturbing the Hold of the enemy in the area – this was on another world, mind you. It's not like this one. In this one, everything's empty: in the one we were in today, there's still a lot of people. A lot of 'em have been taken over; it's all a mess, really."

"It's another one of the First Tier worlds," Spryous added to James look of confusion. "We have to operate in all of them if we want to hold the taint of Kuroouja within these few worlds. It's our best chance."

"Right, defensive fighting and all that bullshit," HT nodded. He turned to Spryous. "Actually, do we have any drinks left? You know – hard stuff." Spryous thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. "Shit," HT muttered. "Could've used something to keep up my spirits."

"Continue," James prodded, "with what you were telling us. The mission-"

"-Turned out to be a trap," HT sighed. "We don't know who set it up, but it's likely that one of big K's generals is finally onto us. Bastard knew what we're trying to do – strike the logistics centers of his army – and made it so that we'd get too deep before realizing what was up."

"Where are the others?" Spryous asked, quietly. He had another small ball of fire in his hand, and it was jumping up and down nervously.

There was a long pause, HT running his finger along the edge of a pistol he had on the table.

"I have no idea," he finally said. "Couldn't see what was happening – couldn't tell which way was up. A lot of motion – everybody started yelling. It got dark real quick – they must have had a Shadow with them... we hadn't seen it when we scouted the place two days ago. I cut out."

"You abandoned them?" James asked angrily. He had had enough of the stupid customs of this place. He had to put his foot down. "They were your comrades, and you _abandoned_ them?" He stood up, fist clenching angrily.

HT stood up as well. He was about the same height as James, although James was a trifle taller. The two stood a hair's breadth apart.

"I didn't abandon_ shit,_" HT said in a low, dangerous voice. "I got out, because you know as well as I do that each one of us needs to keep survival as the first priority. We have to conserve our numbers, and I'm one of the ones that knows Authorian."

"Did you see anyone else get out?" Spryous interrupted, walking over. He didn't try to get between the two other men, but simply stood nearby, ready.

"I know Chloe got out. She was standing watch outside – she radioed us a couple seconds before the attack – said she was hiding, and that she was safe. We didn't know exactly what she meant until the walls practically swarmed with fucking Bugs."

"You don't know that she's alright," James accused, still angered. "You don't know that anyone is safe – because you didn't stay to find out."

"I did what I had to, alright?" HT growled. "Besides, she's got that stupid lizard of hers."

"Excuses are nice, aren't they?" James asked. "Make you feel better."

"This is stupid," HT sighed, and broke away from the engagement. "I was going to go back and get her. She'll have an idea on what happened, anyway. She may be short, but she's sharp."

"We're coming with you," Spryous said automatically.

"Are you kidding?" HT said, pushing the pistol down into its holster. He snapped the clasps of his boots tighter, a leg on a chair. "Who's going to hold the fort here?"

"It'll be fine for a little bit – Slop and me rigged it pretty good."

HT rolled his eyes. "It'll be easier to avoid attention if there's less-"

"Perhaps, but it would be better if you are discovered with backup," James put in. He decided to put aside his problem with HT deserting for the moment. If there was a gallant rescue to be had, he was sure he would be a part of it. Besides, he had a sneaking suspicion he would start breaking things if he was kept in the room for much longer. "We can help you fight them off."

HT ran a hand over his head. "You don't even have a weapon," he gestured to James. "What good are you?"

Spryous interrupted, pulling a smooth sword seemingly out of thin air; it had an insignia like a flame on the end, and seemed to reflect a strange red color in the right light. "He can have this for now. I'll be fine just with powers for now." He turned to James. "What kind of gun are you used to using?"

"I'm fairly certain that the weapons I normally use are of no use here," James said with a wry humor. "I do think I could use a pistol such as HT uses."

"One of the Cleric's Pistols?" HT grinned. "Well, you still got good taste. I won't deny that."

Stepping over closer to James, Spryous visibly concentrated for several moments. Before James' eyes, the sword molded it's shape, changing until it resembled a pair of the pistols that HT had on his belt. James took them tenderly, feeling their weight comforting in his hands.

"They work just like mine?" HT asked curiously, stepping closer. He touched one of the pistols, looking to James for permission, who nodded yes. He took it, and examined it in his hand.

"It should," Spryous nodded. "I think I got all the functions down."

"Automatic?" HT asked.

"Yeah."

"Explosive rounds?"

"Yep."

"Unlimited?"

Spryous paused, and then nodded. "They are now."

HT clapped James on the back. "Well, now you've got something good going on for you." He handed the pistol back, and James took them, getting used to the feel – much lighter than pistols he was used to.

"I guess we got ourselves a rescue mission, then," HT said, smiling now. "This should be interesting."

Spryous flipped up the lapels of his leather jacket, and adjusted the mask on his face. "Yeah. Let's go."

"I suppose it would be too much to ask for a plan?" James asked, tightening the belts under his military-style coat. He was beginning to get the adrenaline again – so familiar from battle, his constant companion. It was beginning to course through him, causing his vision to sharpen, his breathing to become more rapid. It was a useful tool, if controlled properly.

"What's there to plan for?" HT asked. "We find Chloe, and then go from there."

James sighed, and shook his head, smiling. "Alright. Let's get this endeavor over with."

Spryous and James stepped back from HT to give him room. James had seen the process done enough now to know. HT deepened his stance, the muscles of his neck flexing. His concentration could be seen when, after several moments, a bead of sweat rolled down his face.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's difficult to find the seam again. Getting a lot of interference."

James nodded silently, and Spryous gave a thumbs up. HT continued to focus, drawing his arm back, and bringing his other down lower. With a sudden slicing motion, he crossed his arms in an strange contortion, before pushing forward.

With a audible sizzle, the air broke in front of him, a floating hole appearing in the middle of the room. It could only be seen properly from the front and back, disappearing to a tiny sliver of light from the side.

HT relaxed, and straightened. He gestured widely to the portal. "All aboard," he said. "Spryous, go first, then James. I'll bring up the rear."

Although he felt that HT was making a slight at his perceived ability, James went along with the plan. They both stepped around to where HT was, looking through the portal. It was just like the first one that James had seen – almost like looking through a mirror filled with smoke. Beyond it was only an outline.

Spryous nodded once more to the other two, and stepped forward, his shape simply melting into the smoke covering the surface. James took a breath, and then walked forward as well, holding both pistols at the ready.

It felt different then the last time – more like squeezing through a bottle of jam. James wondered what made it different – was it the person creating the rift, or did it have something to do with the destination?

It was several long, lung paining seconds until James' vision cleared. He found himself standing in what appeared to be an empty, pavement covered lot, the moon hanging overhead. There was immediately the comforting smells that he associated with home – the acrid of smoke from fireplaces, the whiff of the ocean on the air. The sound of bugs singing in the night made him feel more relaxed than he ever had in the 'safe' hotel room.

Some high brick buildings – high by his old standards, not anything akin to the behemoths in the thunder-filled world, stood on either side of the lot. Beyond, their lay a street that he could see also was lined with buildings. To his back there was a fence, and beyond that a hill.

The street lamps here were all gone out, which he found, once again, surprisingly comforting. However, soon another light came into view from around the world. A floating flame above Spryous' open palm cast a good amount of light. The other man waved him over, and James hurried.

"I checked ahead. Looks like most everybody's asleep – figures, this is a small town. No sign of Chloe or any of Kuroouja's cronies."

"HT mentioned one of Kuroouja's generals was in charge here," James said, whispering. "Who is that?"

"Ketsuekiouja," HT said, walking up to the pair. He had both his pistols unsheathed, like James, and a small, black sword reflected the firelight on his belt. "He's a nasty one. Keeps all these Bugs around, all times. He's been assigned several Oni as well – some of the biggest. We were planning to disrupt all that by destroying the support systems that keep the Oni and the Bugs alive in this atmosphere-"

"-I'm sorry," James apologized, "but you mentioned these 'bugs' earlier, as well. What are they?"

"Not all Servants are like the kind you faced earlier, James," Spryous said. "There are different kinds, and the Bugs are some of the worst. They have a tough outer skin, and can withstand a lot, too. Think of a giant insect, and then combine it with those Shadow Servants you faced, and you've got a general idea."

James didn't like the picture his mind gave him. "How does one fight them off, praytell?" he asked.

HT pointed to a building down the street. "That was where we last saw Chloe," he said. They walked out into the road towards it, and he continued. "Fighting off Bugs isn't like the regular Servants. It's pretty simple to fight off regular Shadow Servants, truth be told. Certain kind of bullets – fire," he nodded at Spryous, "they've got lots of weaknesses. But Bugs... their skin is thick. Fire doesn't work all that well – although it'll still make 'em run for a while. Bullets are a bit better, like the ones you and I've got... but you better hope we only run into a couple of them. It's not just their armor... it's their numbers."

"How do you mean?" James asked. They arrived on the other side of the road just in time to avoid a black car as it drove by, the headlights startling James. "Wh-" he mouthed inconsistently. He had never seen a contraption like it. The sense of firmness that the relatively small town gave him was put on edge again.

"Well, when they swarm, you have a problem," Spryous said pointedly. "You get one, and another takes its place."

"Then what do you propose we do to fight them?" James asked.

"Well, the obvious thing to do would be to fight them in the daylight, when their weaker – a lot of the Servants share that weakness – but the Lab we need to hit is underground, so that doesn't do any good," HT said. He walked up to the storefront windows of the building they were approaching, rubbing the night fog off of them, and peering inside with an elbow shading his view from the firelight. From what James could see, the store looked empty on the inside. "Don't see any sign of her," he said, "but that doesn't mean anything. She might still be in."

"What else could we do?" James forged on persistently.

HT moved over to the door, and kicked at it several times. On the third time, it swung off its hinges, inwards.

"You know, I could have made a key with my-" Spryous started, but then stopped, sighing. "Never mind."

"Look, it takes up energy for you to change the katana around, right?" HT asked rhetorically. "Well, I just saved you some energy."

They moved into the room, the silence inside broken only by their footsteps creaking on the old wooden floor. Spryous doused his light as he entered. James held his pistols at the ready, listening for the slightest betrayal of a foe.

"It's alright," HT breathed. "I think this place's empty."

Spryous brought back on the light. James looked around, his pistols only slightly lowering. The room was indeed abandoned, and looked suitably trashed. The tables and shelves were disheveled and spilled over, chairs lay without legs. Papers lay on the floor, blowing around slightly as their footsteps disturbed the air.

"Well, shit," Spryous cursed quietly. HT said something that James suspected would have made his military instructors blush.

"Come on," HT said, moving over to the back of the room. "She still might be in here." He opened a door in the back, which led to a small wooden stairwell. "I'll go up," he said. "Spryous, you and James check the basement. Call if you see anything."

Spryous nodded. James took one last look at the desolation in the store as they went on, and noted that it looked like their were deep gashes in the floor. Caused by what, he didn't know.

They went down the stairs until they came to a small wooden door set in the wall. Spryous tried it, and it was unlocked. Familiar with the procedure required in the situation, James moved to the side of the door. Spyrous opened it quickly, and then raised his flame high. He stepped into the room, James soon after, pistols raised.

The basement was empty. There were a large number of unidentified boxes lining the walls and occupying large sections of the floor. Several tables with bench seats also sat in the middle of the room. Spryous sighed, lowering his palm slightly.

"This is empty," he said bitterly. He turned around, but James moved further into the room. On the table, there was something strange-

"What is this?" he asked to nobody in particular. "Some kind of... code?"

"What?" Spryous asked, moving back over.

They looked at the table in silence for a moment; carved into the wood of the table lay the words '_seven eleven_'.

Spryous started laughing. "She's O.K!" he grinned behind his mask. "She's alright."

"What? I don't understand... how did you deduce that-"

"_Seven eleven_," he said. "There's this spot that Chloe and I joked about" he paused, looking back at the stairs. "We should probably go tell HT about this."

"Alright..." James said uncertainly. He followed Spryous back up the stairs, where they ran into HT halfway up.

"Did you find her?" he asked, audibly anxious for the first time that James had heard.

"No, but we-"

"Dammit!" HT growled, fists clenching. His pistols were put away for the moment. He banged the side of the wall with a fist. "Where could she be?"

"HT," Spryous tried to get a word in edgewise, "we know-"

"She couldn't have been captured," HT began saying, oblivious to Spryous.

"_Seven eleven_," Spryous said simply. HT paused mid-sentence.

"What?" he asked.

"We... I know where she is," Spryous said again.

"You do?" HT said, surprisedly (and somewhat suspiciously). "Where?"

"Come on, I'll show you," Spryous said, the hopefulness clear in his voice. He maneuvered around HT, and bounded up the stairs, the light from his palm flickering happily. HT looked at James quizzically.

"I have no idea," James said. Still looking a bit confused, HT turned around, and ran back up the stairs after Spryous; James followed several steps back, wishing he had holsters for the pistols. Unfortunately, it seemed like Spryous was the only one who could control their ability to 'change'.

They reached the store level again, and Spryous was already near the door. HT and James hurried to catch up, dodging around the wreckage of the room. They all pushed out the broken doorway, out onto the sidewalk. HT caught Spryous' arm.

"Hold on, Spry," he said, keeping a tight grip on Spryous' jacket. "You've gotta tell us what this is all about."

Spryous sighed, and HT yanked his hand back as if burnt. Satisfied, Spryous explained. "The last time we were here... the other week, Chloe and I had this area assigned as our recon. Remember?"

HT nodded. "Yeah, so what happened?"

"We went to this corner... there was this little hill where they hadn't built anything, just a couple of trees. We went up there to look around, and Chloe mentioned that there weren't any gas stations in the whole town."

"Honestly?" HT asked. "Why in hell would she say-"

"I said," Spryous continued, ignoring him, "that the corner we had just been at would have made a great spot for a Seven Eleven. We both laughed at that – it's got to be where she is. There's this little hole in the side of the hill, just a little indent; it can't be seen except from a certain angle. That's got to be where she is."

"I'm afraid I am completely lost," James sighed. "What is a 'Seven Eleven'?"

"It's a company that owns gas stations – they service cars-" Spryous began, but then stopped. "Look, it'll be difficult to explain it to you. It doesn't matter, alright?"

"Where's this hill?" HT asked, scanning the street.

Spryous pointed down the street to the left. "It's just down that way, a couple of blocks." He started walking again, and HT didn't stop him, instead drawing one of his pistols.

"James," HT added, "keep looking out for any kind of movement. Even if you think it's just a regular person, say something. Alright?"

"I understand," James nodded. Yes, HT certainly did remind him of an old navy man he'd known.

They proceeded down the street at a fast pace. The light of the moon glanced off the tiled roofs of the buildings around, and the small windows. The overhangs in front of storefronts shaded flapped softly in the breeze. Although he looked, James could not see anybody on the street, or in the windows. It seemed as though the street was deserted.

"There's somebody, two o'clock," HT hissed. James looked, pistols raised. On a corner on the opposite side of the street, it looked like there was a simply young couple, arm in arm. Everyone lowered their weapons, and Spryous lowered his flame so that the couple couldn't see it. James placed the pistols in crooks of his arms. The couple moved past them, oblivious. James watched them until they turned into one of the buildings.

"I wonder what time it is here," Spryous asked. "Must be the witching hour – nobodies out."

They passed several more storefronts before turning left at the corner. James, to his shame, jumped slightly when a hulking truck drove by them almost without warning. Even though cars were parked outside many of the building fronts, he still couldn't reconcile with them motoring along. The truck passed by without incident, however, and the other two didn't seem to pay it much mind.

"How much farther?" HT grunted. "The street sweepers'll be out soon, and you know they've got spies running 'em."

"Just another block," Spryous said. "It's just around the corner down there." He pointed to the end of the street, and the corner on the right side. He kept moving, but glanced back as he did so. "You know, HT, I should check it out first."

"What? Why?" HT growled. "That doesn't make any sense... what if it's a trap?"

"What if it is?" Spryous asked. Are you saying you want to lose all chance of rescuing anybody? They don't know we're here, or else they'd have tried to corner us already."

"Dammit, I hate it when you make sense," HT sighed. The brisk jog that the three were moving at slowed down as they neared the corner, and after crossing the street, it turned into a fast walk.

They got to the next street, which turned into a rough court. At the end, James could see a small hill, as Spryous had described. No buildings were built on it, and there was a low fence separating it from the sidewalk.

"How did you figure that would make a good spot for a gas station?" HT asked. "It's deep in this court. Nobody wants a gas station in a court. It's all about corners."

Spryous shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." James thought he could see a hint of amusement in Spryous' eyes, the rest of his face obscured by the mask.

HT stopped when they got several small, crowded stores down the street. There was a large, open-topped jeep parked out front.

"We could use this," he said, and James saw a glint in his eyes. "We could definitely use this..." he looked up at Spryous' skeptical look, "...just in case, of course."

Spryous shook his head. "Whatever. You're the one who said all that about being under the radar."

"Look, there's your hill. James, go up to the fence with him. I'll see if I can rig this car," HT said. "Or don't," he added. "It's your choice."

"No, I'm fine with the proposition," James admitted. "I would be completely useless to you here." HT nodded, and Spryous shrugged, moving off at a steady pace towards the hill.

James moved on as well, drawing his other pistol.

"HT has this weird thing about cars," Spryous said under his breath. "Acts different around them. Kind of weird."

"I've met many men who exhibited the same reaction around a prize horse, or vessel," James said. "I can sympathize completely."

Spryous shook his head, giving James a long look. "You know," he said, "sometimes I forget you're way older than me. It's such a freaky idea. I mean, I wasn't even born yet when you were around. My great-grandparents probably weren't around."

"How old do people live in your time?" James asked, honestly curious. "I'm forty-four. How old would your era consider that."

"About middle age," Spryous admitted. "Most people live to be around eighty or so. Some live through the hundreds."

"My god," James breathed. "Greater than a hundred? It truly puts the differences between generations in perspective. I expect to live to the ripe old age of sixty, perhaps sixty-five."

"Well, we have a lot better medicine, and nutrition and all that," Spryous added. "We're taller on average, as well."

"I haven't noticed that," James said.

"Yeah, well, it's true."

They got to the foot of the hill. James looked to Spryous.

"I heard your and HT's argument about you going in alone, and I must tell you that I disapprove of either option," he said, examining the hill as it curved upwards, topped by a small number of what looked like oak trees.

"Then what, _pray-tell_," Spryous said sarcastically, "would you suggest?"

"The indent in the hill is on the other side, correct?"

"Yeah, about half-way up. You can only see it if you stumble in it. I mean, you can see the stretch of hill where it's at from the top, but not the opening itself."

"Well, to be safe, wouldn't it be acceptable if I gave you a covering range of fire from the top of the hill?"

Spryous paused for a moment. "You mean, you on top of the hill, and I go down to the hole?"

"Precisely."

He shrugged. "Sure, if that's what floats your boat," he said, swinging himself over the small fence. He turned back once more before scaling up the hill. "Don't shoot me, though," he whispered.

James rolled his eyes. "Oh,_ certainly not_, sir," he said, making a mock bow. It was ridiculous how incapable they imagined him to be.

He climbed over the fence as well. The sound of cars in the distance grew louder as he moved up the hill, until he could see over the hill, in the distance, a line of cars moving through the dark on an enormous road. James ignored it for the time being.

The trees were fairly good for cover, as far as temperate breeds went. Although he was more used to the enormous green foliage of tropical trees, the trunks of the oaks were thick, and the tangle of roots near the bottom could prove useful in unbalancing an enemy.

The wind was more than a whisper on top of the hill, more a low growl that rustled through the trees eagerly. The thick, wavy grass that covered the hill swayed in currents that made James feel as if he was at sea again.

He couldn't hear Spryous moving anymore. His light was obviously out, and from the crown of the hill James couldn't actually see down the sides. He left his cover behind one of the trees and moved closer to the sides, peering down the slope. He could barely see his companions' faint silhouette against the dark shadows from the buildings that ringed the bottom of the hill. He was moving low to the ground, obviously having done this kind of sneaking before.

True to Spryous' word, James could not see any sign of a hole or hide in the hill, simply waves of dry grass. He wished he had a rifle at this distance. He was willing to bet that the futuristic guns he had in his hand were probably more accurate then the ones he was used to, but that didn't really comfort him.

Bringing one of them closer to his face, he examined it. There _was_ a small indent at the top of the barrel, near the back of the gun. He had dismissed it before, but now wondered about it. He pried at it with a finger, and a small, glowing wing of metal swung up, almost like a sight.

Suddenly, when James looked at the small sight, his world shifted perspective. It was like his entire vision was a scope, with glowing readouts and numbers occupying the corner of his vision. He could see clearly all the way to the road on which all the cars were bustling one way or another.

"Fascinating," he muttered, tilting his head. When he looked any direction, the tunnel-like vision with the heads-up display remained. He began to wonder how to exit the strange phenomenon. He tried all methods of turning and twisting his head. Then, blinking and squinting his eye. Finally, he found that blinking with his right eye three times returned the world to its normal proportions. He looked at the pistol with a renewed sense of wonder. What world made miracles like this? It was beyond anything he had ever dreamed – he could think of dozens of uses.

James shook himself out of the cloud of discovery. He had to focus. If something went wrong, he had to prove that he could handle the situation.

Spryous had disappeared from view. James looked around the side of the hill for him, but couldn't spot him. He must have found the hiding place. James wondered how large it was, on the inside. Obviously, enough for two people, if Chloe was indeed there.

He waited. Several moments passed. Spryous hadn't come out. James didn't think that it would have been that difficult for him to extract Chloe, if she was present. So what was going on?

Minutes. James began to get nervous. Was Spryous captured, then? If he was, then it stood to reason that James shouldn't go in after him, and report back to HT for support. That was the military thinking in this situation.

_Damn it_, James thought. _This isn't the military anymore. I've got to get rid of that habit of thinking. _

Uncertain if he was doing the right thing, James began to step cautiously down the hill, fingers on the triggers of the pistols. If only there was some way for him to contact HT – but even though this time had many strange and wonderful things, long distance communication like that was probably still impossible.

"James?" came a voice from his sleeve. James yelled out, slapping at it. "Miles, you there?" it was Spryous' voice. James stared at the sleeve, looking under it for any sign of his companion.

"Where are you?" he asked, in a surprised whisper. He prodded at the sleeve with his pistol.

"We sewed a small communicator into your sleeve. Don't you remember? We told you about it the second day."

All James remembered about the second day was getting uproariously drunk with HT in one of the hotel's many kitchens. Nothing else stuck.

"Wait," James whispered, rubbing at his temple with his other hand, still occupied by a pistol. "Do we all have these?"

"Yep," HT's voice emanated from his sleeve next.

"If we all have these..." James reasoned, "then why are we even here? Why didn't we just contact the others' communication devices?"

"Because they only become active from a signal within the hotel," Spryous said. "When we left, ours became active. The others, HT included at first, didn't activate theirs when they left. They didn't plan to use them."

"Well that's an incredibly ridiculous system," James said.

"Look, we can talk about it later," Spryous said. "You can come down in here now."

"Everything's alright, then?" he asked.

"Yeah."

` Shaking his head at yet another insane miracle of technology, James clambered down the hill. He almost didn't stop in time to avoid tripping over the crevice that appeared in the middle of the flowing grass. It hadn't been visible from only several feet back.

James moved around the hole, looking down into it before he lowered himself down. He couldn't see anything below a foot or two down, only darkness.

"Nothing gained..." he muttered, kneeling down to the edge of the hole before lowering himself down.

The darkness below was almost overwhelming – when he looked up, he could still see the stars, but soon the tunnel curved, and he couldn't even see those. Eventually, it bottomed out, and suddenly James found himself sitting at the bottom of a tunnel. He could see a faint light further in, the curve of the earth going slightly down, further into the hill.

"Hello?" he called uncertainly, standing up. He brought the pistols up again, walking forward cautiously. His eyes, slowly becoming adjusted to the darkness, made the light brighter.

"James?" came Spryous' voice from around the corner. "Is that you?"

"Yes," he said, stepping forward. "Where are you?"

The light of Spryous' flame suddenly came around the corner, reflecting off the other man's leather clothes. "There you are," he said. He gestured further in to the tunnel. "Come on, this is cool."

James followed him, the tunnel continuing to slope, and curving several times until it widened, creating a large room under the ground.

"What is this place?" he asked quietly, looking around. There was a small chandelier hanging from the roof, and some kind of screens occupied some sections of the earthen wall, displaying the surrounding hillside, and beyond. After several seconds, he spotted the petite form of Chloe at a wooden table, her demon lizard sitting close-by.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free," she grinned. "Now it's your guys' turn to hide."

James smiled in spite of himself, giving Chloe a sweep of a non-existent hat, before turning to Spryous again. "I thought you said this was simply a small indent in the hillside?" he asked. "This is very much more than that."

"Well, it was, last time I was here," Spryous defended. "It's just that-"

"Me, Momentai, and Asumon came here the other day and did some redecorating," Chloe said impishly. She spread her arms to encompass the room. "Like what we've done with the place?"

"You've simply been waiting in here for someone to find you?" James asked. "Are there any supplies of any kind?"

"Nope," Chloe sighed. "Which is why first thing you guys are treating Asumon and me to In-n-Out."

"Yeah, right," Spryous scoffed. "You can believe that, Chloe, if it makes you feel better."

"Hey, a girl's gotta eat," she complained. "And I just happen to be craving a double-double and a strawberry shake."

Suddenly, the lizard – Asumon jumped up, looking at the screen in the wall. "Chloe!" it said, alarmed. "You'd better look outside!"

"What's on those monitors, anyway?" Spryous asked, both he and Chloe moving over to them.

"Momentai made it so that the trees relay video," Chloe said absentmindedly, looking at the screen. "Oh, shit."

"What is it?" James asked. Spryous spun around, making for the door.

"We have to get out of here, now," he said. "There's an Oni coming up the street on the other side of the hill. We have to grab HT and run."

"I thought you said they couldn't detect us here," James said.

Chloe shook her head. "If they're sending an Oni, you can bet your balls that they already spotted us. We've got to go before they put the damper on HT's Authorian."

She moved out of the room, Asumon alongside her. James followed, sighing internally. If they thought things through, they wouldn't be in this kind of situation. They had the technology, they just didn't have the know-how.

They all clambered out of the crevasse, various grunts coming from Chloe as she hoisted Asumon up and out of the hole.

"Sorry," the poor creature said apologetically.

Chloe cracked an honest smile, perhaps the first James had ever seen on her. "No worries, Asumon. Let's just get out of here in one piece, huh?"

James clambered out next, shoving the guns awkwardly into his deep coat pockets, and scrambling up the steepening tunnel walls. When they became almost vertical, he jumped up, latching onto the lip of the hill. The adrenaline that had been present before aided him again, and he pushed himself up surprisingly easily.

"HT," Spryous spoke into a small box on his wrist. "HT, how's that jeep working out?"

"Idling and ready," the voice replied. "You guys comin' or what?"

"Christ," Chloe sighed, looking over the hill. James could see it too: a vast, hulking shape moving up the street beyond the hill, its bulk higher than two and three-story buildings around it. "Do we have an exit plan? Because I think the elevator won't be working."

"If you mean can we outrun it..." Spryous said, already loping down the side of the hill in long strides, "...hopefully."

James bounded down the hill after them, Chloe gaining the lead even with her smaller stature, Asumon crushing down the grass alongside her. The blood started to pound in James' ears as they reached the fence, all of them jumping over it in one motion. Now, he could hear the sound of the motorcar, making a chugging, growling noise while it drove up, HT at the wheel.

Spryous jumped into the back of the truck. "James, up here!" he called. "Chloe, in the cab!" James didn't argue, only clambered up the large wheel and into the back of the truck, the pair of them crouching low as the vehicle started to move.

Chloe slammed the car door shut, and the jeep shot off down the street, just as an enormous shadow crested the hill. James realized that it hadn't been his blood pounding in his ears, only the creature's footsteps, pounding the ground with every step.

As they pelted down the street, gaining speed, James caught a glimpse of the creature as it smashed the hillside where the hideaway had been. It walked on its knuckles, almost like some kind of enormous ape – akin to a specimen that James had seen in Borneo. Only instead of stringy red hair covering it, a mass of black tentacles writhed under the moonlight, forming its body. The head seemed to be a mass of tattooed flesh and teeth, sitting atop an impossibly thick neck. Caught in the light, its claws seemed to be as long as the jeep itself.

Suddenly, a piercing scream from above. Spryous' gaze shot upward, and a blast of fire shot from his hand almost faster than James could recognize the threat. The flying creature he spotted above them swerved to avoid the blast, complaining in strange piercing screams.

"Dammit!" Spryous yelled. "James, don't let these guys get close to us!"

James raised his pistols, and shot rapidly at the bird as best he could aim, bright flashes spitting from the barrels. The creature swerved the first several shots, calling down loudly at the jeep. James closed one eye, and shot again. The creature yelled one last screech as its wings collapsed, diving into the pavement.

"Good job!" Spryous yelled over the growing sound of the wind. Then, irreverently, he started laughing.

"What is it?" James asked loudly.

Spryous shook his head, firing another shot of flame up at the growing crowd of the flying creatures. "Nothing!" he called back.

The flock circled down lower. James could catch only glimpses of their appearance, but what he saw reminded him strikingly of a cross between a tarantula and a bat. He unloaded several of his seemingly endless rounds at them, but they seemed to wise up, dodging every one. Spryous had just as much luck, only singing a couple that flew too close.

The jeep's tiers screeched loudly as HT swung them into a sharp turn, catching the corner of a block and banging into a light post. He didn't stop to worry about it though, only sped up again, sending them careening down a new street. Several lights turned on in the surrounding buildings as they passed, but James had a feeling they wouldn't be able to see them before they sped out of sight.

The flying creatures were thrown off temporarily by the change in direction, but regrouped quickly. Now they dived, pelted at the jeep, pulling up at the last moment and raking their sharp talons through the air. HT took a hand off the wheel and fired at one unexpectedly – the creature screamed as it plunged, dead, into the back seat of the jeep.

"Oh, great," Spryous said. "Chloe, could you get this thing out of here?"

"Sure," she called helpfully. She and Asumon dragged the carcass out of the seat, and threw it out of the car, into a fire hydrant where it's fragile head smashed open spectacularly. "Awesome!" she yelled gleefully. "That must be, like, bonus points, or something!"

"Shut up and hold the wheel!" HT yelled, forcing Chloe's hand onto the wheel as he turned around, firing into the cloud above them. Either his or James' bullets downed another of the creatures, which plunged straight into the roof of a building.

"We can't keep doing this all night!" Spryous yelled, catching one of the beasts in a floating bubble of fire, causing it to run into a pole.

"I agree!" James called back.

"You guys are right," Chloe commented. "But what can we do? HT, can you get us out of here?"

"Not yet," he growled fiercely, grabbing one of the creatures by its outstretched foot, and smashing it into the side of the jeep before shooting it several times. "Too much shit coming from the Oni. Can't concentrate – can't tap into the zone."

"So does that mean we have to dispose of the thing?" James asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He spun around, catching one of the creatures in the jaw as it swooped down at him. It fell, helplessly, to the road.

"Either that or get a lot farther away!" HT yelled back. "And it doesn't look like that's going to happen!" He fired a shot directly next to Spryous' ear.

"Hey!" the pyromancer called, barbequing what was left of the attacker.

"Sorry about that!" HT grinned, looking not apologetic in the least.

"Speaking of which, where is our giant pal?" Chloe asked, looking around. She slipped into HT's seat as he stepped over into hers. She grabbed the gearshift, and pushed it one higher.

The house next in the row exploded in a shower of bricks and wood as the Oni crashed through it, blocking their path. Chloe, with a yell, swerved the wheel to the side to avoid a stream of black goop that shot from the demon's extendable jaws. She shot under the creature's legs, the beast's underside so close that James could smell the putrid stench of it. Without a second beat, all three started piling bullets and fire into its underbelly.

The Oni yelled out, a deep, horrific sound that sent the lights on for the entire street. James thought it reminded him of what a mortar shot might sound like if it came from a living thing. They pelted past it, its subsequent shots of the same black liquid barely missing the jeep each time.

"Great!" Chloe yelled. "Now you pissed it off!"

"I think it's_ always_ like that!" HT retorted. "Shut up and drive!"

"Perhaps it's just having a bad day," James added, feeling strangely exhilarated. He watched as the bat-creatures collided with the Oni, the latter becoming frenzied and tearing the smaller creatures to shreds.

"Well, there's one problem out of our way," Spryous commented. "Now we've just got to worry about Godzilla."

The creature in question suddenly stopped, refocusing on the sound of the jeep screeching away. To James' surprise, it got down on its haunches, and pounced – landing only seconds away, and sending the jeep into the air for one sickening moment.

It bounded after them, catching up now, sending the ground shaking with each time that it crashed back to earth.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" HT demanded, firing bullet after bullet into the writhing body of the Oni. James did the same thing, but both seemed to have no effect. Spryous remained focused on the two flying creatures that had survived the run in with the Oni, diving and screeching raucously.

"We're running on freaking _empty_, dammit!" Chloe screamed back. "What do you expect me to do? I'm not Jesus! I can't turn air into gasoline!"

The Oni seemed to sense that its hunt was almost over, and it shot another stream of filthy black goop at the jeep, Chloe just barely managing to swerve out of the way in time. The back edge of the car still got caught, and it sizzled audibly – the smell reminding James of rotting flesh.

Then, the enormous creature reared up, bringing its gargantuan fists down on the ground. The shock-wave spread out rapidly, flipping the jeep into the air for a moment. It crashed down on its side, hard, throwing James out onto the pavement. He rolled painfully for several feet, before coming to a stop, the pain temporarily blocking everything else out.

The creature slowed down now, like an overgrown predatory cat, anticipating its prey's demise. It suddenly walked slowly in a zig-zag pattern down the street, the tentacles that composed its body writhing more enthusiastically then before with excitement.

James pushed himself up, groaning. He didn't know where the pistols were. He spotted one of them, some distance away. He tried to step over to them, but stumbled in a shout of pain – his ankle or lower leg was obviously broken.

He looked around. The shock-wave had thrown up a large section of the pavement like an absurd slide, creating an impromptu wall across the street. James could smell the smoke from a fire somewhere, but couldn't see it.

He could also see the body of the jeep, but its body was turned away from him – only its underside was visible. He could see a pale arm sticking out beyond it, but couldn't tell if the girl it was attached to was alright.

The beast lumbered closer, only a building or two away. A number of people poured out of the front of one building, momentarily distracting the Oni, who bent down and consumed them. The screams made James feel like he was back in the depths of the jungle, the troops ransacking a native village. He shivered, even though he felt the hot trickle of blood leaking down the side of his face.

He limped over to the jeep, supporting himself against its upturned front, and peering around the corner.

Chloe had gone through the windshield, but weight of the creature in her lap had pressed her mostly into the dashboard instead. Her face was covered with several cuts, but no shards of glass that James feared appeared to be sticking out of her.

He bent down, the glass crushing under his feet. He pushed the hair out of her face. "Chloe. Miss Chloe, are you alright? Please answer me. Please be alright." He felt a strange sudden need for this girl – who had ridiculed him, and whom he had only met the previous week – to be alright. "Chloe?"

There was a cough. "Fuck off. Can't a girl get a..." she groaned, "... little shut eye in peace?" She opened one eye blearily, and smiled weakly. "Hey, Soldier. How're things?"

James broke a small smile. "Better," he said.

Chloe looked down at her lap, groaning again. "God, it feels like someone beat the shit out of me," she complained. Then, with tenderness, she petted the tough plates of the lizard in her lap. "Asumon? You O.K?"

"I... I think so," the little creature said weakly. "That was a bad one."

"No kidding," Chloe said, smiling wider.

James looked up for the others. He saw Spryous several lengths from the car, helping HT up off the ground. So, they were both at least serviceable. That was good.

Tepidly, he peered back around the side of the car, down the street. The Oni had managed to get most of the building's people, and was bending close to the ground, sticking its hulking hand up into the building itself, looking for all the world like a child trying to reach for more snacks in the cabinet.

"Lord," James breathed. How were they to stop such a monster? He wondered how it found its prey – it had reacted most to the sounds of the jeep, and the commotion of the pedestrians. Then did it rely mostly on its hearing? It was certainly worthy of consideration.

He limped back over to the other side of the jeep, where Spryous and HT had walked over. HT flexing, or attempting to flex his hand, but to no avail. His arm was bleeding freely. Spryous didn't appear much the worse for wear, but he was covering his face with his hand, as his mask had broken off. Chloe had gotten out of the turned-over vehicle, and was crouching, stretching to make sure everything still worked.

"What is this Oni's weakness?" James demanded.

HT looked at him. "Weakness? I'm not sure it has any, besides the fact that it hates sunlight and can't swim – both of which aren't really useful at the moment."

"Does it detect us using hearing?" James asked persistently.

Chloe responded. "I see what you're saying, James, but I don't know where it hears from. I don't think any of us do." James noted that it was the first time she had called him by his actual first name.

"And it's got to at least partially use its vision," Spryous said. "It definitely uses that to locate obstacles."

"Dammit," James sighed frustratedly. "If we could cancel its eyes out of the equation, then it's possible that we could-"

"Distract it," Chloe finished, a look of understanding coming into her bloodied face. She winced when she smiled. "I think I have a plan to go along with yours, good sir." She elaborated.

James moved to the back of the jeep, the side that was closest to the Oni. He peered around the corner, spotting the creature still hunting around for snacks.

"I still think I could do this," HT grumbled. "I'm _ambidextrous,_ dammit."

"No offense intended," James breathed, putting himself into the strange vision of the scope, "but I_ was_ doing this before you were born."  
The scope-vision made it insanely easy to pick out the exact target – the spot right above the iris. The creature had two enormous, asymmetrical eyes, and James was willing to be that the creature would yank its head around at just the right angle-

He fired. The Oni yelped in pain, a strangled, dead sound. It swung its massive neck around to look at its attacker... exposing the other eye. James fired again, and this time the Oni clawed at its face in distraught frenzy, smashing into the building from which it had just been feeding. Its pained yelps reminded James of the sound water buffalo made as they died – perhaps the worst sound he had ever heard.

"Not bad," HT said grudgingly. "Except now it can probably figure out where we are."

"Correct," James said, retreating back behind the car as the Oni seemed to regain its focus, tilting it head now as if listening. It stomped forward in their direction, black blood seeping from both sides of its head.

The two ran as silently as possible away from the car to the right side of the street, HT supporting James as they went. Chloe and Spryous were already their, Spryous apparently had found half of his mask, and had donned it, leaving the other half in shadow.

Chloe put a small green box that she had been holding to her ear down. "They said they're already on it – they've apparently already gotten calls from half the town."

"So that was the law enforcement of the area?" James asked.

"Yeah, they said something about sending 'the whole force'," Chloe whispered. She blew a wisp of dark hair out of her face – her ponytail had come undone. "They'll serve their purpose, at least."

The Oni was searching for them miserably, with long sweeps from its fist smashing the ground. It stumbled forward almost blindly, in the general direction of the downed jeep. The group moved in the opposite direction as quietly as possible, keeping as much distance between themselves and the Oni. The monster's body tentacles lay almost completely still.

"We could totally take it," HT breathed, as if trying to convince himself. "We just don't want to waste our energy."

"Right," Spryous agreed.

"Not retreat," James added. "Simply fighting in another direction."

"God, you are all such _men_," Chloe hissed.

The Oni reached the car, felt it, and then threw up the acidic black ooze on it in a torrent. The car was quickly melted away into nothing, the hissing completely audible even from their distance.

"I wish I had the other pistol," James muttered.

Spryous tapped his shoulder, and handed it to him. "I can call them back to me. Useful, huh?" he whispered.

"Both of you, shut up," HT growled, although at its volume it seemed more like a kitten's mewl.

The sound of sirens neared, causing the Oni's head to whip around, and its body to writhe once again. They came into sight – dozens of shiny white-and-blue cars, and a large red one, sirens blazing. James was amazed that they lit up so brightly – surely there were better ways to spend the technology then on top of cars that already had sirens.

The Oni bounded up to the cars as they met practically in the middle of the street. It immediately started smashing things, causing several of the cars to back up into buildings.

"Alright," Chloe said. "Time for phase two."

"Right," James nodded. He gestured to HT. "Now is your chance."

"Aye, sir," HT nodded slightly ironically, and dashed off. He ran over, low to the ground, back behind the Oni, and over to its opposite side, until he disappeared from view.

The law enforcement had opened fire on the beast, but it didn't seem to be affected much, only continued ripping into cars.

James looked to Spryous next, who had already picked up several long pieces of wood from the ruins of a nearby building. When James nodded, Spryous set the tips of each one of them aflame, and handed the new torches to Chloe, who handed one of them to Asumon.

"Now go get into your positions," James nodded to the both of them. He patted his leg, leaning against a light-post. "I will help oversee the situation."

Spryous nodded, and Chloe grimaced. James looked over at the monster. It was still in a frenzy, crushing as many police cars as it could get its hands on. In the growing light from explosions and fire, he could see the blue uniforms of policeman running away as fast as they could.

He realized then, seeing the Oni crush the sirens one by one, that it was after the sound. Even when it had been eating the screaming pedestrians, it had just been trying to quench the sound, so that it could hear its true prey. It was more dependent on sound than they had thought.

"Alright," Spryous said, turning towards the scene as well, "let's get this over with."

"Why don't you use one of your armors?" Chloe asked suddenly.

Spryous turned to her with a wane smile. "The Oni's blocking it, just like it's blocking HT's Authorian." He turned to James. "Told you these guys were tough," he said. The growing light partially exposed his face, but he turned away before James could catch a glimpse. His hands literally surrounded by undulating ropes of flame, he ran down the sidewalk, far enough away from the Oni to be out of its range.

"Well, I guess that's our turn," Chloe muttered. With one final mock-salute, she ran off towards the writhing back of the Oni.

James checked both pistols, making sure each was working properly. If everything went according to plan, he wouldn't have to use them – but if there was anything he had learned in the military, it was that plans didn't last very long.

He double-checked everyone's position. They were arranged in a rough half-circle behind the Oni, with Spryous to the creature's right, Chloe behind, and HT visible on top of the ruined upper floor of a building to its left.

Without hesitation, James spoke into the sleeve of his jacket. "Chloe, are you in position? HT, Spryous?"

"Yep."

"Hell yeah."

"Yeah."

James wished he had a watch to time the operation. "Alright, go."

Chloe started first. She took the burning chunks of wood, and threw one of them at the Oni's back.

The beast responded almost immediately, pausing for a moment first – perhaps considering who was stupid enough to commit such an act. But then it roared, as the heat from the board – having stuck to its slimy back – registered. It turned around, swinging a giant fist in a wide area, but Chloe danced just out of reach.

Asumon threw the next one, landing on top of the Oni's gargantuan head. It roared louder than before, shaking its head before bringing its fist down on the concrete where Asumon had stood just moments before.

Chloe repeated the process, each time moving to the right a small amount, keeping the Oni's attention. It tried every trick it could, smashing, swiping, and throwing up its acidic black goo – but none managed to catch her. James had to admit, for a girl, she was incredibly agile.

The beast got into another frenzy, pounding the ground, trying to find the source of the annoyance. But Chloe had already turned it around until it was facing the side of the street Spryous was standing on, and was standing a fair distance away from them.

When the beast lowered its head to the ground, sniffing out its foe, James gave the signal.

"Now!" he called into his sleeve.

He saw Spryous respond. The pyromancer took a step back, and, drawing from the burning building behind him, amassed an enormous, floating funnel of flame – which he conducted directly into the Oni's outstretched face.

The creature screamed now, backing up in confusion and alarm. James had predicted correctly – fire may not have injured it especially, but it certainly startled it. The noise from the funnel of flame coursing around its head must have been deafening.

He didn't need to tell HT to do what was next. As the Oni back up, it crashed directly into the building HT had been standing in. The man, hardly as tall as the creature's head, jumped onto its back at the last moment before they collided.

Still disoriented, the Oni took several moments to notice the intruder on its back. HT didn't waste any time, he clambered up the writhing, grotesque tentacles that made up its body until he came to the neck; when he reached the spot, he opened fire – hurling round after round of explosive, high-impact bullets into the back of the Oni's head at point-blank range.

For a moment, it seemed like they had won. The Oni truly did scream now, a pained-gurgling yell that increased with each trace of black blood and matter that splashed onto the ground. But then it shook itself, reaching behind it, trying to dislodge the parasite that stood atop it. HT had no handholds – he tried to stay balanced, but then the Oni tried a different tactic – it rolled over.

James watched as HT jumped away at the last second, hitting the pavement at a bad angle. The Oni staggered up, and then flailed about in pain, clawing at its head.

"HT!" James heard Spryous yell. He looked over, and saw the other man rushing over to the spot where their friend lay, seemingly collapsed. James tried to struggle over to help them, but didn't get very far before he saw what was coming.

The Oni heard Spryous' yell, and its head stopped snapping around, zeroing in on the sound. It charged, the ground shaking with every step.

"Over here!" Chloe shouted, hurling another piece of rubble at the creature from the side. It stopped, steps away from crushing Spryous, who was hauling HT's larger frame up over his shoulders. The Oni turned mid-rush, stopping itself with a slam of its clawed fists into the ground.

"Dammit!" James breathed, as Chloe ran towards another building, yelling at the monster as she went. Asumon tried to attack the creature's legs, but it kicked out, sending the much smaller creature flying. James didn't see where it went. He didn't have time to worry about it. He pulled his leg along, limping as fast as he could across to the building Chloe had taken refuge in.

She had gone in the door, and the Oni was tearing at the roof, pulling boards and bricks alike apart to get inside. James gulped as he neared the frenzied creature, and he noticed that it truly was his heart beating now – the blood pounding in his ears as his fingers gripped the pistols.

The Oni didn't notice as he slipped through the front door as well – it only knew that its prize was already inside. It smashed down on the house, sending debris everywhere as James went in.

"Chloe?" he called, closing the door behind him.

"James? What are you in here for?" he heard, her voice coming from the far side of the store room. She had evidently found a small rifle somewhere, and was loading it. James looked around, and realized where they were – a gun shop.

"Come on," James gestured with his pistol-filled hand to the door. "We've got to-"

The walls shook, and the sound of the roof being ripped out of its place filled their ears. James could hear the pounding now of the beast's fists against the roof above them. He limped around the counter to where Chloe was, trying to find a more defensible position.

The boards above them were scraped out of the way by enormous, blackened claws, filled with splinters and smashed by dozens of dents. The hand reached down into the room, so much bigger than it had looked from a distance, clearing the rest of the roof out of the way.

Then, the shadow fell over the growing gap, and James could see the twisted head of the Oni. It roared in anticipated triumph, shaking guns off of their racks, clattering to the ground. James began firing, shooting up into the ghastly, toothed maw above, firing as fast as his fingers would let him. He heard Chloe beside him, firing the rifle, ducking as a shard of debris fell down, then firing again.

The ceiling above them was almost completely gone now, and the Oni finally grew tired of the game, smashing it other fist through the front wall. It pushed its arms together, and then pulled – with a tremendous snapping sound – taking almost the entire front of the building with it.

"This guy just need to lighten up!" Chloe yelled over the din, firing again. James didn't respond, only kept firing away.

The beast turned back to them, and James could see that they were having no effect. The Oni apparently felt the same thing, as its terrible jaw – filled with thousands of spindle-like teeth – opened into a demonic grin. It bellowed again, and reached its enormous claw down to grasp the insects that had dared to challenge it.

There was a sound like a sonic boom, and James watched as the Oni's body shot to the side, lifted up from the ground as if it had weighed nothing. There was an electric sound then, a static feeling in the air that made his hair stand up on end, and he saw enormous javelins of lightning lancing into the beasts side. The tentacles that the lightning touched wriggled in pain as if they were separate creatures.

Then, Chloe vaulted over the counter, and looked up, beyond the side of the building that blocked James' view. "It's Doggy!" she yelled ecstatically, pumping her fist into the air. She looked over at James, and offered him her support. He took it, and she helped him to walk closer to the front of the building, where he could see what was going on.

The Oni had pulled itself up, and was bellowing loudly at its new adversary. Floating the last couple of feet to touch the ground, Slop Doggy's body crackled with energy, his hair standing straight up almost ridiculously. Small rocks and pieces of debris floated around him as if held up by invisible hands. He stabbed forward as if trying to punch the Oni, and another arc of lightning shot from him, pummeling into the creature's shoulder.

It pounded its fists into the ground once again, and charged with a final bellow. Russel (as James thought of him) stepped several paces to the side, and – drawing an enormous lightning-charged sword from his back – hacked at the creature as it barreled by.

The smell of burning flesh joined the other acrid smells in the air. The Oni took another several steps before stopping, its neck dangling awkwardly off of a small bundle of tentacles. It pawed the ground nervously for several long moments, as if trying to decide what to do next. Slop held his sword at the ready, facing the Oni, but made no other moves. Chloe and James walked several paces towards their leader, but stopped when the Oni yelled again – not from its mouth, but as if each tentacle that made up its body was screaming. The broken neck tentacles that had been hanging limply began to move again, beginning to repair the damage.

Seeing this, Russel began to fire more arcs of lightning at the beast, but somehow each one glanced off its head without a dent.

Suddenly, Spryous was at their side. "James, the pistols!" he cried, looking to the regenerating Oni. James didn't hesitate, and handed the pistols to the other man. After a heartbeat, the pistols melded together into a large gun that was much larger than any James had ever seen; in fact, it reminded him more of an artillery piece than a rifle. Spryous hoisted up onto his shoulder with a grunt. "Help me with this!" he called to them.

Chloe nodded, and after a nod from James, the two of them went over to Spryous.

"Chloe, steady me. James, load the rocket," he commanded, and the two followed. James looked down, and saw that there was indeed a metal implement sitting on the ground, fat at the head and with a strange tail-like back. Looking between the rocket and the tube-like back of the cannon, he understood. He bent down, his ankle crying out, and grabbed the rocket; it felt surprisingly heavy in his hands. He loaded it into the back, a small clicking sound alerting him when it wouldn't go in any farther.

"Done," he said, getting out of the way.

Spryous got down to one knee, and Chloe did as well, on the opposite side; both of them held onto the gun as if it were about to jump away from them.

"Go back to hell," Spryous snarled. He pulled the trigger.

The gun balked, and sparks flew out of its back. The rocket shot out, whistling through the air gloriously – until colliding with the base of the Oni's neck.

The explosion threw James to the ground, and when he looked again, the monster looked... different.

It no longer had a head. Or a neck. The large front half of its body looked like it had been bitten into by an even larger creature, and the stumps of its once huge arms sat smoking in the street. The tentacles writhed violently for several moments before the body keeled over, and they lay still. The carcass sat there, smoking, for what seemed like hours. Nobody spoke.

Then it simply... melted. The black mass that made up its body seemed simply to melt like ice in the heat, until the once enormous creature lay simply as a large, sizzling pond in the pavement.

"Alright!" Chloe yelled out, jumping up. "Let's do that again!"

Slop turned towards them, and James saw that he was grinning. "Damn, that one was big!" he called over. "Did you see it?"

"See it?" Spryous yelled, relieved. "We almost got eaten by it! Where were you?"

Slop reached a hand behind his head, embarrassed. "Yeah... I was in another world when I finally felt you guys. It's more difficult to tell when you're in trouble from another world. Sorry."

"So you got out then?" HT called. James looked over to see him sitting up against a wall, grimacing and pressing a red-soaked rag against his side.

"Yes... I cut out just after you did. I couldn't save Momentai..." his face darkened. "They still have her."

"Well then what're we waiting for?" Chloe asked loudly. "We've gotta go get her!"

"I agree," James said slowly. "Is there any way we can recoup ourselves though, at least temporarily?"

"Seconded!" HT called, raising a hand. He winced as he tried to smile.

"Wait, where's Asumon?" Chloe said, suddenly. She looked around frantically. "Did anybody see where he went?" She moved off from the group, calling her friend's name. James wished he could help.

"First," Spryous said, "I think we should get out of here."

They all paused, listening to the sounds of sirens approaching. The area would probably soon be crawling with people. James worried that not all of them would be friendly.

"Alright. I think that does need to be first," Slop said. He turned to HT. "You should be able to use Authorian again."

James and Spryous walked closer to Slop Doggy, Spryous supporting James. When they got closer to the wall HT was sitting against, James could see that he had his eyes closed, concentrating on something inside of himself.

"Yeah," he said, opening his eyes. "Yeah, it won't be pretty, but it should work."

"Good... just wanted to check that," Slop muttered, turning to the others. "I don't think we should go back to the hotel. They'll be monitoring any more entries from that world. Fortunately, there's another place I can think of that we can go."

Chloe walked back, holding a limp, but seemingly still breathing, form in her arms. "He's alright," she said, her voice strangled. James was a bit surprised to see that there were the fresh sign of tears on her rubble-covered face. "Let's go. As long as there's cheeseburgers there."

"No promises," Slop said, a small smile playing on his lips. He took the enormous sword that was still in his hands, and – with one long, clean stroke – cut a hole in the middle of the air. It bubbled slightly for a moment before clearing, the surface once again like a deep fog.

Then, he went over and helped HT up, who sucked in his breath a bit when he tried to walk. "Keep going," he said to Slop's look of question. "I've had worse. Trust me."

Slop stopped a couple of steps away from the portal, and nodded to Chloe. "Go first," he said. She nodded, and stepped through the portal, cradling the small Asumon in her arms. Then, Spryous stepped forward and James lost all sense of place.

It felt like he was floating, as if he was just drifting on the surface of a cloud. That feeling lasted for about a minute before it felt like the cloud had disappeared, and he was falling. Falling, so far down. He tried to yell, but couldn't force his mouth open.

And then they were out. Both he and Spryous landed hard on the tiled floor, James hissing as he landed partially on his ankle. It hurt like any of the other war-wounds he had had. Hopefully the treatment would be better.

He looked around, only to become more confused. The world around almost looked like a picture from a dream – the checkered white and black tiles stretched in every direction, the horizon impossibly far in the distance. Above the horizon was just... white. There was no sun: the light seemed to come from all directions at once. It reminded James of being in the dome of the Church in Bombay – its dome so high that it seemed like the very sky itself.

And then, all around them, floated little vials. Thousands upon thousands, simply hanging in the air at various heights and altitudes. Some were filled, some weren't. Many of them were upside down, but the liquid didn't fall out.

"What... what is this place?" Spryous asked, looking around as well, his mouth slightly open.

"I have no clue," Chloe said softly, from next to them. She hadn't moved from where she'd stepped out of the portal. "But it freaks me out."

"Don't let it get to you," Slop grunted, coming through the portal. He repositioned HT's weight on his shoulder, and after a pause, the portal closed behind him. "It's just a little world I found while poking around. You could call it a leftover."

"What do you mean, a 'leftover'?" Spryous asked.

"Well, when worlds are created," Slop said, looking around at all the vials, "not all of the material needed for them is used. The rest of it goes into little pockets between worlds, like this one. I highly,_ highly_ doubt they'll find us here."

"Is there anywhere to sit?" HT grumbled.

"Yeah," Slop said, pointing behind them. "Look over there."

James and the others looked to find a comfortable-looking armchair sitting right behind them.

"OK, that was _not _there before," Chloe complained. "This place is getting _really_ high on my creepy list."

"Yep. Weird," the lizard-creature in her arms agreed. It wriggled out of her arms, and began to walk around.

"Don't walk too far," Slop said suddenly. "You don't want to get lost." He walked over to the chair, and HT slid into it, gritting his teeth as his side hit the cushion.

"What do the vials contain?" James asked, curiously. He and Spryous walked over to another chair that appeared when they weren't looking in its direction.

Slop shrugged. "Some useful stuff, some not-so-great stuff. It depends."

"Depends on what?" Spryous asked.

"How much you need it," Slop muttered in answer, looking up at the cloud above them.

"Sounds stupid," Chloe grumbled, keeping an eye on Asumon as it walked around the area, looking into the vials that were closest to the ground.

"Just watch," Slop said, chuckling a little. "Here comes one now."

They all looked up. Barely visible among its brethren, a small vial was slowly floating down to them. It bobbed along, almost like an absurd glass jellyfish.

"Is it really safe?" Spryous asked. Slop didn't answer.

When the vial reached eye-level, it changed course, floating over to HT. The wounded man looked at it suspiciously, but didn't stop it. When it reached him, it stopped, hovering inches in front of him.

"Go ahead," Slop offered, gesturing. "Take it."

"What do I do with it?" HT asked, taking the vial into his unoccupied hand. He peered into it, and sniffed at it. "It doesn't smell like anything." Suddenly, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell back against the couch, unconscious.

"HT!" Spryous called, starting to run over to the other chair. Slop held out his arm, blocking Spryous.

"Hold on a second," he said, nodding to the collapsed man in the chair. "Watch."

The hand that had been holding the wound at his side fell away, and for a moment, more blood began to seep through. But then, gradually, it lessened... and stopped. Moving around Slop Doggy, Spryous went over to HT, and knelt down next to the chair.

He bent over HT's side, and rolled back the rag he had been holding there. Then, carefully, he peeled back the shirt covering the wound. HT's side was encrusted with drying blood, but there was no wound. The cut had completely disappeared.

"Well, shit," Chloe said, watching. "That's convenient."

"Amazing..." James breathed, leaning as far forward in his chair as he could.

He was paying so much attention to HT's miraculous recovery that he didn't notice at first when the vial drifted down to him. He started when he looked at it. It was small, and contained the same colorless liquid that HT's had. Well, perhaps not exactly the same – it was slightly clearer.

Then, the vial turned upside down, and James hissed in his breath as the liquid covered his leg, seeping through his pant-leg and down to his feet. It felt incredibly hot, but also frigid – one of the most incredibly odd sensations he had ever felt.

When it reach a spot right above his ankle, though, it burned incredibly. He gasped as it felt like his leg was quite literally on fire. The sensation lasted for several pain-staking moments before it died down again, and it felt like his legs was drenched in cold water.

He looked down at his leg, then up at the others. They were looking at him now; he looked back down at his leg, and attempted to rotate his ankle. It worked fine, without any pain or resistance. "Fascinating," he muttered.

In his chair, HT stirred, finally opening his eyes and looking around. "Well, that was a trip," he said. He sat up, and then blinked, clearly remembering. He looked down at his side, where Spryous was still examining his cut (or lack thereof). "It's gone? Hell, this stuff would've been useful so many times..."

"Agreed," James said, standing up. He took several steps, and with confidence, walked over to HT's chair. He looked to Slop Doggy. "Then what comes next?"

"Are you guys really ready yet?" Slop asked, looking skeptical.

Chloe raised her hand. "What about food? I'm _freaking_ starving."

More vials floated down as if on cue, these were colored various shades of orange, red, and blue. Slop took one without blinking and poured it down his throat. "There you go," he said.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Chloe sighed. She took the vial and, holding her nose, swallowed its contents. She brightened almost immediately. "Actually, not half bad. Go figure."

Following these examples, the others took the vials that were in front of them and drank them. James immediately felt more energized, and prepared. In fact, he felt better than he had in days.

"_Now_ you're ready to go," Slop smiled, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Hey, I'm always down for throwing my life into danger," HT shrugged. He stood up, and stretched, before pulling his pistols back out of their holsters and twirling them in his hands. "Bugs, right? Well, you can't always win."

"Please tell me we have a plan before going in," James interjected. "And details. For example, where are we going to start? What kind of enemies will we be fighting? What is the layout of the structure or complex if we're fighting in one?"

"Well, I can't answer all of those – you always ask those kinds of questions, James – but a couple I can," Slop said after a pause. "We're going to cut into the area I _hope_ is the prison block – but I'm not entirely sure. We didn't get far enough into the complex last time. And, yes, it is a complex: a large number of labyrinth-like tunnels that stretch under a large part of that town we were just in. The further down you go, the closer you get to the heart of the complex. That's where we're going – to the prison block.

"Good news," he continued, "is that I don't think they'll be expecting us to charge in. Not after the injuries I'm sure they know we sustained, and not after we ran away. They'll be expecting us to run away as fast as we can, not go right back and ask for seconds. Bad news – the prison block is fairly close to Ketsuekiouja's throne room."

"Christ," Chloe sighed. "That's_ fucking_ wonderful."

"We've got to get Momentai," Spryous said, looking at Chloe. "It doesn't matter what kind of forces they've got."

"I know that," Chloe said defensively. "I mean... couldn't we ever have a mission where we don't have to face a horde, or a giant, or some other A-list freak from the local circus? Couldn't we just face like... a giant tunafish, or something semi-normal like that?"

"I hate tuna," HT spat.

"It doesn't have to be-" Chloe started, but Slop held up his hand, cutting her off.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked.

Spryous walked over to James, and handed him the pistols back. "Here you go," he said. "You did pretty good with them last round, so you can use them again."

"Are you certain?" James asked. Spryous nodded, and James took the pistols into his hands.

"Alright, everybody else good?" Slop asked. Chloe and Asumon nodded. HT grunted. "Then let's go," Slop said. He opened another portal, and they all walked through.

Something James had noticed was that the in-between seemed to last longer when it was connected to that 'left-over' world. This time, though, it wasn't as alarming – it only felt like he was rising very, very fast.

The first thing he noticed was the dark. There was no light, and nothing to tell where he was other than the sound of echoes that marked them as underground. His companions seemed to have the same startled reaction, although they tried to be quiet about it.

The only other sound was the soft lapping of water at their feet. James sloshed around, and quickly found both the walls of the tunnel they were in – it was large enough for perhaps four men to lay end-to-end, and he couldn't touch the middle of the ceiling. The water was only in a small trough in the center of the tunnel, reminding James of what he had heard about the sewers of Paris.

"Spryous,_ turn on the light_, dammit," Chloe hissed.

"Oh, right," Spryous said. James blinked against the light as the fire sprouted above Spryous palm, the light reflecting off of the water and the rusted metal around them.

The next thing that he noticed was the bugs. Hundreds of giant had stopped their crawling along the ceiling, and were now staring intently at their new guests.

"Aw... that just isn't fucking fair," Chloe sighed.

"Run!" Slop yelled. The group took off down the tunnel, and the bugs seemed to take it as a cue. They dropped down from the ceiling, and began to run after the intruders. James began firing while running, shooting the bugs behind them as they approached. He hit most of them, but not all of those that he hit stopped. Those that did were simply trampled by the rest of the hoard. The chirping of the bugs was incredibly loud all of a sudden – as if they had just started sounding the alarm.

"Shit!" HT yelled. He fired ahead of them, and Slop began slashing at the pouncing bugs with his sword, slicing their armored bodies in half. Spryous began holding back the bugs behind them with a wall of fire that moved as they walked. James used the added light for greater accuracy, and shot the bugs through the curtain of flame.

"Why aren't you using all that lightning stuff?" Chloe yelled above the sound of the Bugs yelling and screeching.

"Have you noticed what we're running through?" Slop yelled back, a bit annoyedly. He punched his sword at the bugs in front of them, and they flew backwards as if shot from a cannon, screeching to each other. Soon, the group was running on top of piles of crunching bug corpses.

"I can't hold this up much longer!" Spryous called. He now fired immense jets of flame that filled the tunnel behind them, but only the closest bugs were halted. The rest just kept coming. And James could see even more in the dark – endless collections of bug eyes coming after them, coming ever closer.

"Turn here!" Slop yelled, taking a turn down a side tunnel. The group followed him, James and HT firing at all the bugs that attempted to follow. One of them grabbed onto James' leg, but Spryous blasted it. It fell back, smoking.

"There's a door!" Chloe called, and she pressed a button on the side of the wall. A round grate lowered down from the ceiling, shutting the bugs out. They piled against the gate, gnawing at it, trying to get in, but to no avail. After several moments of being shot at, the bugs finally decided it was enough, and retreated.

"They'll try and find an alternate route," Slop warned. "Come on. We don't have much time." He began running down the new tunnel, and they followed after him, Spryous' fire lighting the way.

James noticed that the tunnel had sloped sharply down, and they were certainly descending very quickly. He wondered how much farther the dungeon was.

Pipes ran along the side of the tunnel, humming away, or clanking. When he put his hand against one of them, James found that it was slimy, and cold. One of the pipes had broken, and the liquid inside of it was pouring down into the trough, creating a mock-waterfall. Chloe slipped, but pulled herself up again.

Soon, James noticed a change in the tunnel. The pipes became more numerous, and the air seemed to become more humid, and warmer. Sporadically blinking lights began to occasionally appear in the ceiling, and he thought he heard what sounded like... a waterfall, ahead.

"It should be right here," Slop assured them.

They reached the bottom of the tunnel, and it flattened out and widened. As they went on, the tunnel ended completely, revealing a room that was as large as the inside of a cathedral. It was circular, and the ceiling incredibly high. The sound of the waterfall came from the water that plunged down in torrents from the pipes, which opened up on the far side of the chamber. The water fell past a protruding statue that James could not identify, which stuck out from the chamber wall, and down into a lagoon that occupied most of the room. James could see – on the far right and left sides of the room – large entrances to other tunnels.

"Huh. No bugs in here," HT commented, staring at the twisted grandeur. The walls had elaborate murals covered with scenes that James would have likened to paradise, coupled with images that must surely have come from hell. The statue that protruded from the wall, and another that stuck up from the center of the lagoon appeared to be made out of gold. And the lights embedded in the high ceiling threw light perfectly against them, creating golden ripples all around. The floor was no longer what one would expect from a sewer, but instead was tiled, and pillars stood in a rough circle around the edges of the walls, supporting.

"Wonder how long it took to build all this," Spryous muttered.

"Doesn't matter," Chloe said, walking ahead of the group. "Did you guys forget why we're here? Control your boners and lets get going."

"She's right," Slop said, moving towards the left side of the room.

"Ou'est-ce que la porte?" James asked, looking between the two doors. "Which door is it?"

"The left one," Slop said. "Or, at least, it should be. As I said before, I've never actually been this far down here. I've been in other fortresses like this, but each is slightly different."

"Well, if it's not one, it's the other..." Spryous said uncertainly. "Not that that helps us much."

They crossed the floor of the cavernous room, until they reached the far left. When they entered the tunnel, they found that the grandeur ended rather quickly, turning back once again into the image of a sewer.

"Whoever did their interior decorating was a sick, twisted-" Chloe sighed.

"Hold on," Slop interrupted, holding up his sword. "There's something..." he trailed off, and James could see he was looking past them.

"What?" HT asked.

"This is the wrong way..." Slop said quietly. Then, he seemed to snap out of the trance. "This is the wrong way!" he yelled, before spinning around and stabbing one of the enormous spider-demons that had crawled up behind them.

"Dammit!" Spryous yelled. The group retreated, as a number of enormous spiders crawled after them, twice as tall as a man. HT shot the next down, and Spryous burned the one after that. But they kept coming.

"Other door!" Chloe called, running. "Other door!"

They ran across the huge chamber again, the spiders now crawling out of the tunnel and moving across the ceiling and floor after them. James and HT fired away at them, and Spryous managed to burn several, but they didn't stop.

"Everybody jump on three!" Slop yelled. "One... two... three!" They all jumped, and Slop hurled a lightning bolt directly into the lagoon, instantly traveling across the damp surfaces of the room, and shocking all the spider-demons. Several fell off the roof, plunging into the lagoon or crashing to the ground. None moved.

"Keep going," James called. "There's no knowing what reinforcements they may have."

"Agreed," Spryous said.

The group reached the other passage and plunged directly into the long passage – which became a nearly vertical slide.

James yelled, the pit of his stomach flying up to his mouth as they plunged. The walls of the sewer flew by, and they just kept going. Right before he felt he might pass out, the tunnel curved again, flattening until they slid to a complete stop.

They all got up shakily, Spryous falling over the first try.

"Alright..." Chloe gasped breathlessly. "Best. Booby-trap. Ever."

"We've got to keep going," Slop said, straightening himself and picking up his sword.

"Uh..." HT said, looking around them, "I think we're already there."

James looked up. His first impression was that it reminded him of the descriptions of the Roman catacombs – the shelves in the tunnel, and the skeletons all around. The only difference was, these catacombs seemed to be made for giants.

The ceiling was incredibly high up, perhaps higher than the waterfall-room. The walls were high and vertically sheer, but covered in giant pits and shelves. James imagined that a middling-sized warship could be fit in some of them.

"Why do they build everything big?" Spryous asked out loud. "It's not like they're ever going to use them for something of that size.

"Better safe than sorry," Chloe muttered. She began walking around. "Momentai!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. The sound echoed impossibly far.

"Don't!" Spryous said. "You don't know what's in here!"

"It's the prison, genius," Chloe said. "That slide thing? The only peeps they're letting down here are prisoners. Ergo – Momentai must be down here, and creepy-crawlies, probably not so much. I don't think the bugs could even crawl up that thing."

"I think she's further down," Slop said. He began walking off opposite the direction they'd come. "I can sense it."

They followed him along, their footsteps echoing eerily off of the enormous pitted walls around them. Unlike the room with the waterfall above, this room was clammily cold. It was still damp, but not in the comfortable way the other had been. James felt that it fairly easily summed up the conditions of most dungeons. At least they hadn't seen any rats yet.

They didn't talk. James could tell that the others were on edge, just as certainly as he was – his teeth set against each other, and his hands gripping the pistols tightly. His ears strained against the slightest noise.

"I think she's in the next one," Slop whispered after what seemed like hours of traipsing through the dark. "And, Chloe, you go first."

"Why?" Chloe asked.

Slop raised a finger to his lips. "She's sleeping." He reached up and unclasped several buttons, removing his sword before taking off his cloak, revealing plain black dress that was ideally suited for battle or moving silently. He handed the cloak to Chloe. "Give her this." He held his sword and it's enormous wrap in his hand, looking awkwardly ordinary.

Chloe looked at him strangely, but took the cloak and went around the corner. The others waited several long moments.

"Chloe?" They heard from around the corner – Momentai's voice sounded incredibly weak, and faint. "What are you doing here? Did they capture you too?"

"No, silly. We came here to get you out," Chloe said softly. "Now put this on." There was the sound of rustling.

Chloe walked out, supporting Momentai against her shoulder. The other girl walked slightly slowly, as if underwater. She was clearly deprived of nourishment. The form of her large blue cat padded after them, looking downtrodden and underfed.

And, since she was wearing Slop's cloak, and obviously no shoes, it didn't take very long for James to figure out that they'd deprived her even of dignity. His fist clench around the handle of the pistol in anger.

Slop went over to her and bent down slightly, looking her in the eye. "Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"Sure. Never felt this good before," Momentai smiled, although it turned out more as a grimace. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, sure," Slop said, putting his hand on Momentai's shoulder. "Sure thing." He straightened, and turned around, pulling his sword out of its wrap.

Before he cut open the portal, however, he stopped. His arm poised in mid-air slowly turned, pointing the sword instead into the darkness. The rest of the group looked the same way, and, getting the message, got behind him. James raised the pistols, pointing them into the darkness. Spryous increased the flame in his palm, but for some reason the light didn't seem to progress past a certain point.

James was distracted when he noticed that the wall nearest him seemed to be... bubbling. As if it were boiling, under the surface. The air around them seemed to undulate as well – until the pustules around them and on the walls burst, showering a dark liquid all around them.

"Oh, God!" Chloe yelled. "What the hell is this?"

Spryous spat as a drop landed on his lips. "Blood," he said, disgusted.

"Correct," said a voice from the darkness.

HT fired several shots into the dark. There was a deep, blood-curdling laugh.

"Who's there?" James shouted. "Show yourself!"

"It's Ketsuekiouja," Slop said certainly.

"Correct again."

A shape began to appear out of the darkness. He was not as tall as the spiders, and certainly not as tall as the Oni, but perhaps a man-and-a-half. His face was dangerously pale, beautifully carved and sharp. The eyes were pale and opaque, the pupils nonexistent. His hair was a deep, deep crimson, falling about his head in long, thin waterfalls.

He had on a gaudy robe that reminded James of something a priest might wear. The robe, however, was open at the front, and under that was a ribbed black tunic. An upside-down crucifix dangled from his neck, impossibly large, golden, and inset with rubies that glistened in the firelight.

However, the most intimidating thing about this being was the spider's arms that stuck out from behind his back like some sick joke, twitching occasionally, and lifting him up even higher than he was already.

The pale face grinned, turning him not more attractive but more predatory. "You've gotten quite farther than I would have guessed. I will give you that much."

"We do that," Slop said calmly, sword pointed at the creature's heart. James aimed the pistols at the creature's head, and could tell HT was aiming for the testicles. Spryous stood ready beside them, arm raised and flame flickering expectantly. Chloe stood, turned so that Momentai was shielded from view.

"Yes..." the demon said, sounding bored. "Well, I apologize, but I'm afraid it stops here. No more. I can't let word of this get to my superiors, of course... so I can't avoid anything else but killing you and disposing of your remains. Dirty work, to be sure-"

"You can stop there," Slop said, his turn to sound disinterested. "We appreciate your attempt to help, but we have to decline."

"Oh, then I'm afraid you didn't understand my offer," the demon snarled, grinning even more widely now. "I_ insist._"

Slop made the first move. "_Now!_" he yelled, getting down on one knee. James fired, as did HT beside him. Spryous fired a jet of flame above Slop's head, and Slop himself directed a bolt of lightning through his sword.

All the blows hit some kind of shield, halting inches from their intended targets. As the shield fell, splattering to the ground, James saw that it had been made of blood.

"Alright, enough playing around," the demon said.

Suddenly, James heard a whistling sound from high above them. The others looked up as well, and Slop threw up some kind of shield at the last minute, which – when combined with Spryous' fire shield – caused the javelins to glance away harmlessly.

When the shields dissipated, Slop struck with his sword, only to be met by the impossibly long blade of the enemy. Ketsuek had drawn his own blade, and stood on his own feet, using the spider legs instead to stab at Slop, who had to defend against them as well. James saw that they had some kind of stingers on the end.

James and HT moved forward after the duel, firing bullet after bullet above Slop, at the demon. Somehow, none affected the demon – although at this point James wasn't really surprised.

"Cover!" Spryous yelled.

James covered his eyes just in time. The blast of flame was so bright that even through his eyelids James felt that it may have turned him blind. He opened them to find Ketsuek stunned, blinking rapidly.

Slop didn't miss the chance, and embedded his blade directly in the demon's chest, channeling volt after volt of electricity into it. His hands crackled with energy, and the blade simply glowed. The demon's body shook each time another volt hit, his black blood running now down the sword.

Finally, Slop yanked his sword out of Ketsuek's body, and with a final yell, blasted him with some incredible force, and tossing him the length of the chamber into the darkness.

They heard the faint sound as his body hit the floor, but James couldn't see into the dark to be sure that he was truly defeated. Slop didn't wait around to find out. With one motion, he cut open another hole in the fabric of space.

"Everybody in!" he yelled.

James had never been so happy to obey orders in his life.

* * *

So, yeah, I didn't actually spend a lot of time editing this, so it probably has a boatload of stupid-looking errors. Oh, and, if anyone wants me to change anything about their characters, then I suppose it's alright... just make sure it's absolutely necessary first.

Where's everyone else's fics?


	3. Chapter 3

Just a little one.

Chapter III

The thunder from outside didn't keep James awake anymore. He had gotten used to it after the third or fourth night. Now, it just seemed like a strange lullaby, outside his window.

James' room was one of the few in the penthouse without a sliding glass door and a balcony – he had preferred it that way. He had experienced too many instances of unwanted people sneaking in through a balcony to want that. Instead, he had a small, normal-sized window that showed the skyscraper opposite, and the dimly-lit street far below.

It was raining, the drops plastering against the window in a loud patter. The window was abused often, especially when the thunder sounded, and the poor pane trembled in its sill. But it stood resolute nonetheless, braving the world outside stoically.

The room wasn't huge, but it was certainly larger than most rooms James had slept in. On his personal property on Singapore, of course, he had a comparable room. But normally it was shared between him and his wife. Now, he had it strangely to himself. It felt like he was on campaign again – which of course, he was, in a manner of speaking.

However much the room struck him as tasteful, however, the bed was heavenly. It was slightly larger than the bed he shared with Katie normally, and he had it all to himself. Not only that, but it was more comfortable than any he had ever slept in – as soft as silk. He wasn't entirely sure that the Queen herself had a bed as comfortable.

During the night, he made full use of it. He had a small ritual he used. He would come into the room, locking the door behind him – a luxury he had rarely had in the military. Then, he would go into the bathroom, which was _attached_ to the bedroom, and – on most nights – wash his face.

Then, he would go back into the bedroom, and lay out his affects, lessened though they were these days, on the floor. He had been informed that they took turns to do the laundry – although apparently using a machine. More miracles.

From there, he would pull the various covers and blankets of the bed three quarters of the way down the bed, and ease himself onto it. It always felt like the first time – heavenly soft, and the pillows like clouds.

Tonight, however, he was tossing and turning, flailing out his arm. He panted and grumbled as the nightmare took him places he did not want to go. The thunder outside rolled on, the rain beating down upon the outside. The shadows thrown across the room flashed in a moment by the lightning.

In a panic, James reached out with his sword arm, and smashed his bedside lamp off its table. The porcelain lamp fell to the ground, and shattered.

James awoke with a start, jolting upright in the bed. He was breathing heavily as if he had just been marching in the heat of the tropics, and sweating the same. It took him several long moments to realize where he was.

When he did, he sighed, accompanying it moments later by a small groan. He rubbed at his eyes, and blearily looked outside at the rain.

"God," he muttered. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep. Not after that nightmare. He had many of them, but most of them didn't phase him. This one had.

He threw the blankets off of himself with a hand, and swung his legs out over the side of the bed. When he stood up, however, he was greeted with the pain of pieces of broken lamp jabbing into his bare feet.

He hissed in his breath, and sat back down on the bed, cursing several times with words that would have made a navy captain flinch. He bent one foot up onto his knee, and picked up the bits that had lodged themselves in the fleshy underside of his foot: then he did the same with the other.

Now he really wouldn't be getting back to sleep. He'd have to clean up the lamp, of course. First, though, he had something else to take care of.

After walking across the hall and using the flushing water-closet, he went back into his room and turned the light on. There wasn't anybody else in any of the rooms off of his hallway, anyway. They had spread out through the penthouse, most everybody getting a room that wasn't next to anybody else's. All the hallways led either back to the lounge and kitchen, or to another sitting area that James hadn't really seen used yet. Spryous had told him that Slop sometimes just 'crashed' there when he got back to the penthouse late. James hoped it didn't hurt.

Looking down at the hapless pile of shards and pieces, James realized he didn't have any cleaning implements. He wondered if there were any in a closet in any of the halls, or even in the penthouse at all. He had noticed the group wasn't all that enthused about cleaning.

He went out into the hall again, and began looking for a closet. He found one after several tries, at the end of his hallway. There was a window at the end of the hallway, about the same size of the one in his room. The sound of thunder still pressed down from the outside, and there were dappled shadows caused by the raindrops lingering on the glass.

James peered into the closet, but it was incredibly dark. He looked to the side of the door, and was not as surprised as he thought he'd be to find a small switch on the wall. It seemed that power was endless in the future, enough to light up even a broom closet.

The light was brighter than he expected it to be, and he blinked rapidly, holding up a hand against the light. When his eyes adjusted, however, he saw that there was no broom. The closet was empty, except for several rabbit corpses hanging from coat hangers.

"Ah!" James exclaimed, stumbling back and slamming the door shut. He hadn't expected that. He shook his head, wondering what on earth those were doing in the closet.

He sighed. There was no broom, then. He bent down and rubbed his feet for a moment – it was fairly cold in the hallway, and even though he'd had colder, it was far from the warm bed, or humid – almost tropical – Singapore that he was used to.

There was nothing for it. Admitting defeat, James decided he might as well have something to eat. That might help him get back to sleep. At the very least, he'd figure out what to do next. He yawned – he was just incredibly tired.

When he got to the main room, however, he found that somebody was already sitting at the table, a single light above them. It was Momentai, her large feline friend laying down on the carpeted floor next to her chair. One of Momentai's hands was lazily hanging down, tracing meaningless shapes in the blue cat's fur.

She looked up when she noticed James. "Can't sleep either, huh?" she smiled grimly.

"Not well, at any rate," James gave a small smile back, moving into the kitchen. "I realized I was famished," he added, opening one of the cabinets. He looked at the array of colored boxes available. He had found that all of them were delicious; the pebbles that tasted like fruit, the popping rice kernels, the oats shaped like small O's. They were all better than anything James had had on military ration, in any event. He picked out the cheery O-shaped cereal. He had never received an explanation as to why the Os were so happy.

"Jeez, you really like that stuff, huh?" Momentai asked, craning her neck back to look over her shoulder at him.

"Crois-moi, mademoiselle," James said, carrying the milk-filled bowl back to the table with a spoon. "If you had ever had hardtack, you would not be so surprised."

"Hardtack?" she asked innocently.

"If you imagine bug-infested rocks, then you would not be very far from the correct image," James said, completely serious.

"Ick," Momentai said appreciatively, sticking her tongue out. "Bug-infested?"

"Unfortunately," James nodded. "We either knock them against the ground – it gets some of them out – or we just eat them in the dark."

"Oh, gross," she said, visibly sickened. "I always thought the past sucked. Now I know."

James couldn't think of any reasons to disagree with her. From what he had seen, although he didn't understand some of it, the future world had many advantages over his own. Everything seemed both more simple and more complicated at the same time. "It's certainly different," he finally said.

"I heard some sort of yell from your hallway," Momentai said curiously. "Was that you?"

James told her about the rabbits. Contrary to what he expected, she began laughing.

"Oh," she giggled, "that was Chloe. She wanted to freak you out."

"Well, she certainly succeeded in... 'freaking me out,'" James sighed. "It was quite a start."

"I'll tell her to take those down now," Momentai sighed happily, rubbing a tear from her eye. "I just wish we could've seen your_ face_."

"If it's all the same, I would prefer the opposite," James said, feeling a slight affronted.

"No, no, I know," Momentai said, finally under control. "I'm sorry. That was rude."

"May I ask why you have stayed up this late?" James asked, changing the subject.

The small smile fell off of Momentai's face, and James could almost guess from her look what was keeping her awake. "I... still can't help thinking about... down there, you know?" she said quietly. "It's like every time I close my eyes, I see it again. Whenever it's dark, it's like I'm there again."

James put a hand over Momentai's. "I can empathize completely," he said. "I was a prisoner of war once, myself. I was held by the rebels of a district in India for several weeks. It was terrible – they were debating whether they would execute me or simply broil me," he added, smiling to show it was a small embellishment.

"No offense," Momentai said with a weak smile, "but James, you're really terrible at comforting."

"Yes, well," James said, "it must be true. Katie sometimes said something very similar."

"Katie?" Momentai asked, interestedly. "Your girlfriend?"

"My wife," James chuckled.

"Oh, right," Momentai grinned. "I forgot how old you are."

James simply shook his head in good humor. He had come to expect the ribs.

"Do you have any children?" Momentai asked next. She cocked her head to the side almost like a dog or cat herself as James took another bite of his cereal before answering.

"Yes," he said, swallowing. "Two. A boy, Thomas, about the same age as Chloe. Martha is a slight older than yourself."

"Really?" the girl at the table asked, fiddling with the end of her fingerless gloves. "That's so weird to think about. I mean, you're old enough to be my father."

"I suppose I am," James said slowly. "Of course, if I had – been your father, that is – you wouldn't have grown up at all as you are. You wouldn't be the same person."

"Yeah, I guess not," Momentai said, visibly rolling the thought around in her head. She finally shook her head, shivering a little bit. "I don't know. It's weird to think about."

"Agreed," James sighed, trying to think of a new topic.

"You guys can't sleep either?" a groggy Spryous asked as he stumbled into the room, rubbing his eyes against the light. He yawned, and Momentai yawned soon after. "I thought I was the only one," he added. His mask was askew, clear that he had just put it on.

"Do you sleep with your mask on, or off?" Momentai asked, clearly following the same line of thought.

Spryous looked at her. "Off," he said. "I tried it on, once. It's uncomfortable as hell. You can't breathe properly, anyway. Not when your asleep."

"Right, I should have known," Momentai said. "Sit down, Mr. Mysterious," she added teasingly, gesturing to the other chair next to her.

"Hold on, I've got to get something to drink," Spryous yawned again, this time affecting James. He concealed his yawn behind a polite hand.

Spryous stumbled into the kitchen, and dragged open the fridge door. He peered, blinking, into the cold boxes' interior. A thought occurred to James.

"Does the light remain on when the door is closed?" he asked. Momentai looked at him, and sighed – although she did it with a grin.

"No, James," she said, "the light doesn't stay on when the fridge is closed. There's a little button on the inside that the door presses when it closes – it turns the light off."

"Ah," James said, nodding. "Ingenious."

Spryous had gotten out the milk again, and was about to pour it into a glass.

"Don't drink milk if you want to get back to sleep," Momentai advised.

Spryous' hand froze inches away from tipping the carton, the white liquid inside sloshing about angrily. "What?" he asked. "Why not?"

"It keeps you up," Momentai said simply. "Somebody told me that."

"That's B.S," Spryous said: but nonetheless, he unhappily put the carton back in the refrigerator. "What am I supposed to drink, then?" he asked.

"This wonderful thing they invented recently – water," Momentai sighed. "Water cups are in the third cupboard."

"I know where they are," Spryous grumbled, reaching into the cupboard in question. He went over to the sink and poured himself a glass, downing the contents in one long gulp. He poured another, and then took it over to the table, sitting down and putting his head on the table, eyes closed.

"Wow. Life of the part, huh?" Momentai asked sarcastically.

"It's-" Spryous looked up and glanced at a clock on the wall, "-3:10 in the morning, woman. Don't judge me." Momentai shoved his shoulders, but didn't do anything else.

"What woke you up, then?" she asked Spryous.

He didn't answer for a moment, instead banging his head several times against the table.

"Just couldn't sleep, huh?" she answered for him. In response, he banged his head twice more.

"I'm have a headache from two nights ago..." he sighed, finally looking up. "It was the Oni, I'll bet you – it's stupid roar thing must have messed with my head."

"The same thing didn't happen to the others," James put in, after chewing through another mouthful of cereal.

"Yeah, well... you guys don't throw fireballs," Spryous defended. "It's probably something to do with me recharging my powers – something like that. I don't know."

"Actually, you know, you might be right," Momentai said thoughtfully. "There might have been a charm in the base – make us regret it if we won."

"A charm!" Spryous nodded. "I hadn't thought of that. It might be."

"'Cause I know I haven't been able to sleep either, and I know Slop hasn't as well."

"How do-"

"I've known him for a while now," Momentai shrugged. "I can tell."

"What about Chloe, and HT?" Spryous asked. "They haven't had any problems."

"Actually, that's not true," came HT's voice from one of the couches in the lounge side of the room. They all looked over, and saw him lying lengthwise, raising his hand. "I can't sleep either." He reached over to a side table and put his glasses on.

"Have you been there the whole time?" Momentai asked.

"Yep."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Spryous asked.

HT shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I just didn't want to. I was sort of half-asleep, to tell you the truth."

"What's wrong with your room?" Momentai asked. "You've got that awesome pit-bed."

"Couldn't get comfortable," HT said drowsily. "I don't know. Seemed like a good idea to just lay down over here on the couch."

"Well, if you're awake, you might as well come over here," Spryous said, sitting up. "We should do something."

HT groaned as he pushed off the couch, stretching. He rubbed at his face with a hand, and stalked over to the table. He pulled a chair out, and collapsed into it. Then, he leaned his head on a hand. "Do what?" he asked. He didn't seem entirely awake.

"I don't know – a game, or something."

"A game?" James asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, sure, I could go for that," Momentai visibly thought over the idea. "Why not?"

"Well, what do you have in mind, Spryous?" HT asked. He got up suddenly, and walked around the counter into the kitchen. He reached into the fridge and poured himself some milk from the fridge. James noticed Momentai didn't say anything.

"Oh, so it doesn't matter if he does it?" Spryous began to complain. Momentai shrugged, but James could see that she looked a bit pleased with herself.

"I have an idea," James said. "An activity – a game."

They all looked at him as if he had just grown horns.

Momentai spoke first. "You... you do? Like, an actual game?"

"Erm... yes," James said uncertainly. "Yes, I do."

"Huh," Spryous shrugged. "I guess I just assumed they didn't have games... you know, in your time."

"Guilty of the same," HT said, raising his glass of milk.

"That's ridiculous!" James laughed, looking around. Momentai looked like she hadn't expected it either. "What do you think we _did_ all day? Paint?"

All three of them nodded.

"Something like that," Spryous nodded.

"Definitely on my short-list," HT said.

"I was thinking rugby," Momentai admitted. "I mean, you're British, right?"

"What?" James asked confusedly. He thought for a moment. "Rugby?"

"Yeah, football," Spryous added.

"I have heard of that," James nodded slowly. "But I didn't think it was played outside of the villages in England. You know, I've heard that when entire towns played it, it becomes a riot."

"No... look, it's got teams... of, like, seven, or nine," Momentai said uncertainly.

"I'm not sure I know what it is then," James said, shaking his head. "I apologize."

"Don't," HT said. "We really don't know anything about your time, I guess. I mean, you said you were stationed in Singapore, right? I've never been there. I might be able to point to it on a map. That's about it."

"Yes, Singapore," James confirmed. "For the last several years. I was in India before that. I've only been to Europe, and England, twice."

"You weren't born there?" Momentai asked curiously.

"No. I was born on a ship, actually," James smiled. "On the way from England to Trading Company Property in India."

"Wait, what about that game you said?" Spryous asked. They all paused as an especially loud and long bout of thunder erupted outside the window.

"It's a card game," James said, afterward. "I don't suppose we have cards here, do we?"

"Actually," Spryous said, "I played something with HT the other day." He looked to the other man, who had set his glass down on the counter and rejoined the table.

"Picked 'em up from one of the worlds we visited," he admitted, looking around at them. "I figured it would be useful at some point. Guess I was right."

"Do you still have them?" Momentai asked.

HT nodded, and got up. "There in my room, I think," he said. He moved over towards his hallway. "Let me go get 'em."

They all waited for several moments. The rain lessened up slightly, becoming just a gentle tapping against the windows.

"You know, I'm surprised Chloe hasn't woken up yet," Spryous said. "We're all loud enough."

"Oh no," Momentai shook her head. "Not her. That girl could sleep through anything. Believe me. If Kuroouja himself suddenly came in through our window, and trashing stuff, she would stay asleep."

"Hopefully that's a small embellishment," James said, jokingly worried.

"Well, I might be exaggerating a _little _bit," Momentai admitted. "But seriously – she's not going to wake up until at least eight o'clock today."

"Well, I won't wake up until later," Spryous said, smiling tiredly. "I'm going to sleep until five in the afternoon."

"Wrong," Momentai told him. "You volunteered for supply duty, remember. You and me."

"Ah, Christ," Spryous groaned. "I forgot. That whole fiasco on Tuesday really threw me off."

"Was it really Tuesday?" HT asked, coming back into the room. "I was sure it was Thursday – today's Saturday."

"No way," Spryous shook his head. "Today's Thursday. You've got it wrong."

"Kind of hard to tell without a calendar," Momentai sighed. "I mean, I don't even think our time _applies_ on this world. The days are _way_ shorter.

"I noticed that as well," James agreed. "Although when I arrived here, it was a Monday. That would make today..." he paused, doing the math in his head, "that was thirteen days ago..."

"Today _is_ Saturday!" HT crowed triumphantly.

"I don't believe it," Spryous said indignantly. "We don't even know if James' time is aligned with ours. His Monday could be our Sunday. Or something."

"You're wrong, and you know it," HT smiled.

"Whatever. Did you get the cards?" Spryous grumbled.

HT pulled out a new-looking deck and set it on the table in front of James. It glinted in the light, almost like leather, and when James felt the cards, they did not feel at all like the kind he was used to. However, they had least had a similar setup.

He picked them up and ruffled through them, looking at the face cards near the bottom.

"So, what's this game?" Momentai asked.

James began shuffling the deck. "Well," he began, "normally this is played with more people – but I don't believe will be possible. Also, normally it's played with at least two decks – which is again, not possible."

"What is it, though?" Spryous put in. "I mean, what's the point?"

"The point is to lose all of your cards," James said, still shuffling. After he finished, he began skimming the cards to all the players over the table. "You may only play a card higher or of the same value then the one that's already on the table."

"Then what happens when you reach the top card?" HT asked, picking up the cards that were passed to him and putting them in his hand.

"You move onto two-card pairs," James explained, nearing the bottom of the deck. "A pair of fives has more prevalence then a single ace, and a group of three cards is even higher: when you cannot play a card, you are skipped."

"All right," Momentai said, sorting the cards in her hand without looking up. "Ace high or low?"

"I beg your pardon?" James asked, looking at his own cards now. He had passed all of the cards out, leaving only one and putting it in the center of the table.

"Is the ace the highest card or the lowest one?" Momentai repeated.

"Ah," James nodded. "It is the highest."

"Any other rules we should know?" Spryous asked. "Does the game stop when we get too high for anyone to play?"

"If you play a two, it clears the table," James amended quickly, remembering. "I apologize for not mentioning it earlier – it is a vital rule – but it has been a fairly long while since I last exercised my knowledge of this game."

"It's alright, we can't tell," Momentai assured. "We've never played it, so..."

"Actually, I think I've played something like this before," HT muttered.

"Alright, well – I will go first," James asserted, playing a single four down in the middle of the table.

They began, playing in a clockwise order. Momentai played a seven, but Spryous put down two fours.

"What the heck?" Momentai asked, annoyed. "What'd you do that for?"

"It's the lowest I have!" Spryous said apologetically.

HT looked over his cards at the table. "What happens," he said slowly, "if I play the same thing on top of it?"

"Then the next person is skipped," James said.

"Hm," HT looked at his cards again, and then picked two of them. "In that case – James, you're skipped." He put down two fours.

"In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't have told you that rule just yet," James muttered, sitting back in his chair.

The play continued in this fashion. Eventually it boiled down to the entire table possessing only a couple of cards.

"I only have a bunch of low cards," Spryous said glumly. "I can't play anything."

"I'm afraid it is the same for me," James said, conciliatory. "It doesn't look very bright for the two of us."

Momentai looked over at HT, and grinned. "Don't think I'm going to let up on you," she said mischievously.

"Yeah, sure," HT said, rising to the bait. "Like you've got anything in those little hands worth playing."

"Wanna bet?" Momentai asked sweetly. She put down three queens. Spryous blew some air out of the side of his mouth, and leaned back in his chair.

"I can't do anything," he sighed.

HT looked at the cards on the table, and at his hand. He looked again.

"What's the matter?" Momentai asked. "You can play, can't you?" She looked as if she had already won.

Suddenly, HT smiled. "Actually..." he picked up a card in his hand, and put it down. It was a two.

"The board clears," James said... unnecessarily at this point. He wiped the cards to the pile they had made.

"And now," HT played a three. "I win."

Momentai opened her mouth for a moment, and then closed it again. "Dangit!" she finally grinned in defeat. "That's not fair."

"Totally fair," HT said, getting up. "I'll let you guys go for second."

"Watcha gettin', huh?" Momentai asked, as the victor went over to the kitchen again.

"A bowl of victory-loops," HT said, reaching into the cabinet.

"How come all we've got is cereal?" Spryous asked, noticing this. "Why don't we ever get _real_ food?"

"Do you want to cook?" Momentai asked him skeptically. "Because if you do, then be my guest. Make something."

"Well... maybe not like a full three course meal or anything," Spryous muttered defensively. "A hot pocket would be nice, though."

"While it would be nice to see the expression on James' face," Momentai said, glancing over at the mustachioed man, "I don't think it would be worth it. Honestly – when was the last time we had enough time to eat something hot anyway?"

"I am, in fact, sitting right here," James sighed.

HT poured himself some cereal. "You know, to be honest," he said, "I sort of agree with Spryous."

"What? About the hot pocket?" Momentai asked, looking over to him.

HT shrugged. "Maybe not about that..." he said. "But the whole idea of a hot meal sounds pretty good. Why don't we all go out some time?"

"Where?" Momentai laughed. "McDonalds? In case you didn't notice, we're kind of devoid of eateries in this place – not to mention we get attacked whenever we go outside."

"I believe he means another world," James put in, trying to keep up with the conversation. "I will admit, that though the food here is better than in the military, it still leaves something to be-"

"Don't even say it," Momentai said, in a defeated tone. "Alright, you guys have a point. But where? When?" She paused, thinking about it. "I wonder what Slop'll say."

"Oh, come on," Spryous said. "He's not the boss, or anything. We can still outvote him, even if he thinks it's a bad idea."

"No, that's not what I meant-" Momentai said quietly. "I mean, I just wonder what he'll think about the idea. You guys weren't around for Loner-Slop."

"What? Even more than he is now, you mean?" HT asked surprisedly, sitting back down at the table.

"Well, yeah," Momentai nodded. "Back when it was just me and him... he was sort of distant. I mean, rough around the edges doesn't even really describe it. He was just a complete stranger. Nothing like he is now. Now, even if he's out doing whatever all the time – he'll still laugh at a joke when he comes back, or listen to you when you tell him not to do something."

"I don't get it. What happened, then?"

Momentai tilted her head from side to side, reaching down a hand to scratch at the ears of her large blue cat. "He... sort of just opened up. I mean, at first it was almost funny – how he would barely talk to you, or even look at you, some of the time. Now... well, now he's different." She fell silent, and nobody spoke for several moments.

"Camaraderie," James said finally, "is a strange tonic – believe me."

"I guess," Spryous shrugged. "I can't figure out why else all of us would stick around here – it ain't for the food."

They all looked around at each other. Momentai giggled, setting off Spryous. As the two laughed, HT and James looked at each other – before laughing loudly as well. The group laughed, the rain and thunder outside almost forgotten.

"What the hell are you guys all doing up?" an irate Chloe asked from the entrance to her hallway, rubbing at her eye with a fist. Asumon walked out beside her, opened its scaly mouth and gave a large yawn.

"Sorry, Chloe," Momentai said, after the group quieted down. "We just couldn't get to sleep."

"Well, neither can I with you guys making a buttload of noise out here," Chloe grumbled. With a sigh, she went over to the table as well, and slid into one of the empty chairs, muttering under her breath. "What were you guys doing that was so funny, anyway?" she asked.

"Nothing, really... We were just preparing a menu for tomorrow..." Spryous said dismissively, shrugging.

"Yeah," Momentai said, suppressing a giggle. "I was thinking Arby's."

Chloe raised an eyebrow as the group (except for James, who was slightly confused), began to laugh again. "Alright," she said finally. "Did you guys all smoke something while I was asleep?"

"Yeah, you want a joint?" Momentai said, in-between giggles.

This set them off again; even James began to laugh again at the inability of the others to stop, and at the perplexed look on Chloe's face.

"Asumon, I think they've finally cracked," Chloe said, looking down to the lizard sitting in her lap.

"Looks like it," the creature said, glancing around at all of them with a confused look of its own.

There was a loud crash from another room. HT and James immediately stopped laughing, the former drawing a pistol. Spryous stopped as well, and stood up. Momentai and Chloe both looked over in the direction of the sound. Chloe reached over to the wall and turned off the light. The room was plunged into near-darkness.

"What... what was that?" Momentai asked, still slightly panting from her bout of laughter. Aequus lifted its large blue head off of the carpet, its ears perked in alarm.

"Sounded like it came from the other end of the penthouse," HT said, still aiming his pistol in the direction he mentioned.

"The other lounge," James said, getting up.

Spryous stood up as well, lighting a flame above his open hand. He moved over to the hallway that led to the other lounge. The rooms along it were unoccupied, and James had a feeling that they would eventually be taken by new members – but as it was, they were simply a collection of empty bedrooms.

The group quietly got up from the table, and moved over to one side of the hallway entrance, where Spryous was already standing. James grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter, and held it at the ready. He saw Chloe grab a paperweight and hold it ready to throw.

HT motioned with his gun that he would go into the hallway, and check the situation. The others nodded. James silently suggested that they all fan out slightly, so as not to get in the others way in case of an attack.

They nodded, and spread out more, each still out of sight of the inside of the hallway. HT inched forward.

James heard footsteps. He didn't dare breathe. Neither did the others. The only sound was the rain outside. He looked at HT, who held his pistol aiming for a space in which a head might appear.

The intruder came closer, and they could hear his breathing now. All James could see of the room were silhouettes framed against the dim light from the outside.

Lightning struck. The brief flash illuminated the room. The intruder came around the corner – Chloe threw the paperweight in her hand and struck him on the head. The silhouette reeled back, stumbling just out of the line of fire of HT – who missed, and hit the window beyond.

The sound of breaking glass heralded the new hole in one of the enormous window panes. In the same moment, the thunder sounded, and James jumped forward – but collided with Momentai's cat as it pounced at the same time.

He tripped over it, yelling as he plunged to the floor. Aequus growled as it fell as well. James looked up to see Spryous aim a blast of fire at the intruder.

"Christ!" the intruder yelled, putting a hand on his head, and looking at the now broken window. "What the hell are you guys all doing up?" There was a brief pause as they all processed who it was.

"Slop Doggy?" Momentai asked cautiously.

Slop, stumbed on one of the tails of his coat as he walked over to a light switch. The others stood, stunned. "Of course it's me!" he yelled. "Who else knows how to get in here – and regularly shows up at odd hours of the night? Christ, that hurts!"

He turned on one of the lights, and they all turned to face their leader – blood now running down a new injury over his eyebrow.

"Good throw, Chloe," HT muttered.

"Thanks," she whispered back.  
Momentai walked forward, and took Slops hand away from his head, looking at the cut. It was like she initiated some unknown command – the rest of the group unfroze; Spryous went over to a couch and slid down into it. Chloe turned on some more of the lights, and went over to the kitchen to get a bowl of water and a towel. James and HT went over and looked at the damage to the window.

"Well, that was unfortunate," James said, looking at the shards of glass that had sprinkled in a small radius around the base of the now broken window. It now bore a hole in the middle with a radius of several feet, the rain slowly making a damp spot on the carpet around. The wind began to howl through the opening.

"We better fix that before too long," HT said, putting away his pistol with a sigh. "Damn, that was stupid."

"At the least, nobody was injured," James reassured, his brain turning the shards of glass littering the floor into pieces of Slop's skull.

"Not injured?" Slop asked, now sitting down at the table with Momentai, who was cleaning the wound.

"Nearly nobody," James corrected.

"You never answered my question," Slop said, hissing as Chloe came over and pressed a cleaning agent against the wound. "What were you guys all doing up?"

"What else?" Spryous said, now building a small pillar of fire in his hand. "We couldn't sleep."

"They woke me up," Chloe complained.

Slop looked down at the table as Momentai continued to inspect him. "You guys were playing cards?" he asked.

"Quit moving," Momentai muttered, forcibly titling his head up to her with a hand.

"Yeah," HT answered, moving over to the couch. He sat down, and put his hand through a ring of fire that was hovering over Spryous' palm. "We couldn't get to sleep, and Spryous suggested a game – James had one."

"James?" Slop asked, looking over at the soldier. "Really?"

"Why is everyone so surprised?" James asked, slightly annoyed.

Slop shrugged.

"I said _stop moving_," Momentai repeated.

"Look, Momentai, it's alright. Really," Slop said, taking the towel and pressing it against the wound. "See? I can do it?"

"You couldn't last time," Momentai muttered, turning away with a huff.

"Yeah, well, last time I had internal bleeding, and was unconscious," Slop replied, turning her around and giving her a reassuring smile. "Alright?"

She sighed, and walked over to the entrance of her hallway, Aequus at her heels. "I don't really think another round is in the cards," she said over her shoulder to the room in general. "I'm going to try and go to bed again." She walked out of sight.

"Yeah, actually, I think I might do that too," Spryous volunteered. He extinguished the game of flaming tic-tac-toe he and HT were playing, and moved out of the room.

"Guess that's my cue," HT sighed. He got up, went over, and put a hand on Slop's shoulder. "Sorry about... you know," he said. With that, he left the room.

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Slop said after him. He stared pointedly at Chloe.

"What? It's your fault," she said. "You scared the shit outta me." She turned to Asumon. "Come on, buddy."

"I'm tired," the lizard said.

"Yeah, I know," she said. She picked it up again. "G'night, all," she said sweetly as she left the room.

Slop looked over to James. "You gonna go back to bed too?" he asked.

James raised an eyebrow. "Actually," he said slowly, "I have a broken lamp in my chambers that I will have to clean up when I go back in... I might as well stay out here for now."

"A broken lamp?" Slop said, amused. "How'd that happen?"

James took a page from the others' books, and shrugged. He went over to the table that Slop was sitting at, and slid into a chair. "It is... a long story."

"Well, I'm too tired for long stories tonight," Slop said. He flicked his eyes up to the towel on his head. "I've had enough excitement already, at any rate."

"So it would seem," James said, smiling wryly.

Slop leaned back in his chair, unsnapping his sword and letting it fall back against the wall. "So," he said, "_none_ of you guys could sleep?"

"Apparently not," James nodded.

"I bet it has to do with the Oni..." Slop said thoughtfully. "Or at least one of Ketsuekiouja's spells. It sounds like something he'd do." He paused, pulling the towel away for a moment and feeling the injury tenderly with his other hand. He winced.

"To tell you the truth," he said, replacing the towel, "I haven't been able to sleep either. Just been roaming around during the nights, trying to find something to do. I catch a few Z's when you guys aren't looking."

Even though he didn't understand the words, James got the meaning. "Then it would appear it's affecting all of us," he said, "except Chloe."

"Yeah well..." Slop smiled. "She slept through a shoot-out once. No joke."

"How?"

"No idea."

They sat silent for a moment. James picked up some of the cards scattered around the table from his chair. Slop got up, and poured himself a glass of water with one hand.

"So," he said, sitting back down, "are you gonna show me this card game?"

"To be honest, it requires more players," James said apologetically.

"Ah," Slop said, looking at the cards on the table, and sipping from his water. "Then how about I show you a game?"

"It sounds like as good an idea as any tonight," James said.

"Good." Slop began collecting up all the cards.

"What do you call it?" James asked.

"Go Fish."


	4. Chapter 4

So, once again, I don't actually own anybody except the British guy. And some other concepts, I suppose.

Count to three, make a wish:

Chapter 4

"I feel stupid in this dress," Momentai grumbled. She stepped awkwardly in the shoes she was wearing, and Spryous caught her before she fell. Thanking him, she stood back up. Her dress was white, black, and pink, with a pattern of small sparkles running along the side and front. She looked incredibly self-conscious, James thought. Of course – he didn't really approve of what she was wearing, anyway.

"That's why _I_ didn't wear one," Chloe said smugly. Her clothes were much less in the vein of 'champagne and cocktails' than they were along the lines of 'night on the town'. She stepped up the stairs perfectly confidently – although by her posture she was used to Asumon's weight in her arms.

"You didn't have to dress up so much," Spryous said slowly, looking at Momentai – while clearly trying _not _to look at her. He was wearing a red suit, that had attracted several looks so far.

"I know, but I felt like it," she said, shrugging, the muscles moving under the skin of her bare shoulders. "I mean, ever since yesterday, I haven't been able to get my mind off the idea of going to a fancy dinner someplace."

"Well, I wasn't so sure that we needed _this_ fancy," HT muttered, his hand on the sleek guard rail. His suit was tasteful, but not extravagant.

"When James mentioned it last night," Slop said defensively, "I immediately thought of this place. I haven't been here in forever, and I'm sure you guys'll like it." He had shed his traditional cape and sword for a dinner cloak – draped across his right shoulder – and a dark suit underneath. He bore the look that James would only have associated with a man of privilege – he wondered what type of upbringing Slop had had, or what type of parents he'd had.

"So you've told us... several times," Spryous said, staring at the carpeted steps above them instead of Momentai beside him.

James kept quiet. He was too busy looking at the strange, futuristic grandeur all around him. He had decided to try one of the more modern suits, like HT was wearing. It felt odd – so much lighter and less complicated then the dress uniforms he normally wore. He almost felt naked.

They walked out of the carpeted stairwell, and entered into the lobby. James' breath caught, although he tried to pass it off as a cough.

The room was in an enormous half-circle shape, the stairs opening out near the bottom of one of the corners. The entire curved wall of the lobby was occupied by an enormous window looking out onto space. The stars spread across the view like droplets of rain – the most James had ever seen. A floating swirl of light and color drifted silently in the lower right, and a sun shone outside as well; Slop had stated earlier that it was dimmed artificially by the glass to keep from baking them in their suits.

Preoccupied, James bumped into Spryous, who had stopped several steps away from the stairs. He was looking up, and for a moment James couldn't figure out why, when the incredible view was through the window. Then, he followed his gaze and stopped as well.

Near the top of the three or four story room, a chandelier hung in midair. It had certainly been shaped by the mind of an insane man, because the intricacies of it James knew could not have possibly been produced by a sane one.

The golden and crystallized frame itself was enormous, possibly as large as several rooms in the penthouse put together. However, along the frame was positioned a maze of interlocking crystal pieces, so formed that they shaped an enormous, gorgeous puzzle floating above the ground. James was sure that the workmanship itself must have surpassed that of any of the classical masterpieces. The way the crystal was shaped, formed, and contoured reflected the light from the sun and stars, scattering rainbows of light along the painted and gilded walls and elaborately carpeted floors.

"God, who made this place?" Momentai asked, looking around at everything in awe. "Angels?"

"No, just incredibly advanced technology," Slop said simply, walking over to the concierge on the other side of the room.

The rest of the group looked around at each other.

"Do we really have enough money to cover all this?" Momentai asked.

"Look at your dress," Chloe said. Then, she gestured to the other's suits. "Look at their clothes. Somehow, I don't think money is that much of an issue with Slop." She walked off to catch up with their leader, who was only half-way across the enormous room.

"She's got a point," Momentai said. "I mean, where he even _found_ this dress is beyond me." She looked down at herself for perhaps the eighth time that night, adjusting the dress here and there.

"I'm not sure if I like the idea of Slop giving us all this stuff," HT grumbled. He shifted uncomfortably, looking up at the immense, painted walls.

"Well, he did say that it was just for tonight," Spryous said. "Who knows. I don't. I'm just going to try and enjoy myself."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Momentai agreed. "Let's see what they have on the menu, anyway."

With silent agreement, the group turned after Slop and Chloe, crossing the room past other scattered groups standing around the enormous floor, or sitting in one of the gambling areas: ring-shaped tables placed around the lobby with people of all kinds sitting at them, enjoying themselves.

The entrance to the actual restaurant opened near the other corner of the half-circle, a large gold and crystal desk standing beside it. Slop was already talking to the concierge, who bore a striking and elegant tattoo along his face. James looked around curiously, and glimpsed others – waiters and waitresses – who bore similar markings.

"Yes, sir," the concierge was saying when they walked up. "Certainly sir." He turned to one of the attendants behind the desk, and the other man nodded to their group.

"Please, follow me," he said. He had a black and red suit with gold filigree: it seemed to be the uniform. Without looking to see if they were following, he pushed open the enormous and elaborate doors besides them, and walked through.

Slop followed immediately, but Momentai hung onto his sleeve. "How'd you get us in so fast?" she asked. "There are still people waiting out here." She gestured to the benches placed along the wall, where several groups were sitting and conversing. James caught one group that was giving theirs dirty looks.

"Does it really matter?" Slop asked surprisedly, turning.

"He's got a point," HT said, pushing past the two of them and following the attendant. The others followed.

The next room was even more mind-bogglingly enormous then the first, fully circular this time. The entire outer wall was glass, with black marble and gold pillars ringing the edges. The ceiling, when James craned his neck up, seemed to keep on going and going – a giant dome, completely painted with scenes of stellar beauty.

Even more fascinating chandeliers floated around the room over the scattered tables that covered the floor. Each one was composed of separate, independent layers – curved strips of metal with lights of some kind on the bottom, all rotating around a central axis. The effect was like an ever-changing puzzle, constantly floating and rotating. It almost made James dizzy to look at them.

The attendant led them fearlessly deep into the sea of tables, each one occupied with contented patrons; one of the tables they walked past was incredibly large, perhaps seating forty people.

They followed as best they could, dodging the tables and army of waiters weaving their way along. Looking around, James could see that it appeared that at certain points in the floor, there were openings that the waiters kept walking in and out of – clearly, the kitchen was below the floor.

The view outside boggled the mind – a panoramic view of the ocean of stars, and floating nebulae glowing with a golden light. The sun that was visible in the last room shown in this one as well, throwing an austere, stark yellow light.

"Well, I didn't think that I'd be seeing this when I woke up this morning," Spryous muttered, walking along next to James.

"Amen," he agreed. He looked out to where the attendant was walking ahead of them, but he showed no signs of stopping. The number of tables on the floor seemed endless – James was willing to bet that a large part of the island of Singapore would fit inside the dining room.

Occasionally, they walked close to a dance floor, various pairs spread out in impassioned step. It seemed that these dance areas were spread randomly across the room, some bigger than others. James spotted several couples with attire that he _certainly_ did not approve of – even if there was no mistaking them as high-class, the fashions on display would have certainly locked away several men and women in the places James was familiar with.

After several more minutes of maneuvering around tables and waiters, the attendant finally arrived at a table. He stopped at one that was just being cleaned off by a small squad of waiters. They brought in a completely new, deep red tablecloth, and draped it over the metal table with a flourish.

"You are... how many?" the attendant asked, looking back at us. "Six," he said to the other waiters, without waiting for an answer.

Immediately, the waiters swarmed around the table, placing plates napkins, and other dinner necessities. With another flourish, the attendant gestured to their table.

"Please," he said, waving his hand out, "have a seat."

"Thank-you," Slop said, nodding to the attendant. He sat down at a chair on the opposite side of the circular table; when he did, it seemed to be a signal – the other waiters and attendants moved away, off to somewhere James couldn't possibly guess. The only one who stayed handed out menus as they all followed Slop's example, and sat down.

James sat down in-between Chloe and Spryous – opposite Slop. Momentai sat on his right, Chloe beside her, and HT sat on his left. As he took a menu and glanced down at his place settings, James felt oddly comforted. He had had dinner parties such as this – it was simply a different environment. He could do this.

"Would you like me to give you several minutes to decide?" the waitress asked, tall and dark-skinned with a white and elaborate tattoo pattern covering just her lip and chin. She was incredibly attractive, her raven hair falling about her head in lustrous waves, and with an alluring dress that – while not as elaborate as Momentai's, was certainly as effective. James noticed Spryous once again tried to avoid looking at either women, instead examining his menu with perhaps _too_ much interest.

"Yes, that would will be fine, thank-you again," Slop said politely. The waitress bowed her head politely and dodged back through the tables.

"How can they possibly keep track of all the people in here?" HT asked in wonderment, looking around at all the other tables. James noticed that there was one of the dance floors only a couple tables away, an especially large chandelier hovering over it.

"Bet you the service takes forever," Chloe said skeptically. "_I_ voted for In-n-out, but_ no_..."

"Alright," Slop said, ignoring her. He opened his menu, looking at it. "Don't order anything from the left columns," he advised suddenly, looking up. "The human digestive system can't deal with most of it."

"Slop, I beg your pardon," James said, uncertainly, "but it seemed like you were implying that there are patrons here _other_ than humans."

"Yep," Slop nodded. "That's right. Breis occupy the level of the restaurant around the inside of the dome-"

The entire group looked up. James couldn't spot anything, as high up as the ceiling was, other than gorgeous painting.

"You're making that up," Spryous said, squinting upwards as well.

"They're a very minute race," Slop explained. "About as tall as your thigh."

"... then why do they have their level way up high?" Momentai asked, curiously.

Slop shrugged. "Beats me. They must like it up there, though."

"That is the single most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Chloe sighed, looking at her menu again. "So, the left column is for midgets. Got it."

"Not just them," Slop said. "Also for the Qijoor."

"I give up," Spryous said. "Who are the Qijoor?"

"An aquatic race," Slop said, with a small smile on his face. James had the feeling he enjoyed the groups exasperation. "They occupy the level beneath us."

"There's a level beneath us?" Momentai asked.

"I was under the impression that those openings led to a kitchen," James said.

"Well, there is a kitchen beneath us – it's the layer that separates us from the Qijoor restaurant."

"So..." Spryous visibly tried to get his mind around the concept. "There's us, then the kitchen, then the Qijoor level underneath that?"

"Yes," Slop nodded. "It's basically an aquarium level – completely filled with water, looking out onto space, just like this one. The Qijoor have evolved, though, on a world where the gravity is the opposite of ours – basically, they live out their lives upside-down."

"Please stop," Chloe said, disgustedly. "I'm trying to figure out what's edible. Upside down-fish people will not help my appetite."

"I think I'll start with the _marras_ and giant shrimp," HT said, who had been looking at his menu the entire time. "How about it? You guys want to split it with me? It says it'll serve four people."

"That's an appetizer?" Spryous asked, searching the menu where HT had been looking. "Since when does an appetizer serve four people?"

"They're really,_ really_ big shrimp," Slop said, without looking up from his menu.

"Do you frequent this... restaurant often?" James asked, honestly curious. "You seem to know everything about it."

"Yeah, I was wondering that too," Momentai said, looking back toward the table. She had been turned around in her chair, watching the dancers glide over the wooden floor several tables away.

Slop shrugged again, the same smile playing across his lips. "I've been here a couple times. Not that many, though – honest," he said, seeing the group's looks. "It's just a... memorable place."

James looked out the window at a dark, sleek ship that was floating in front of one of the nebulae. It's dark underbelly was interspersed with pinpoints of soft green and blue lights, the smooth and hulking object gliding effortlessly through space. "One could certainly say that much," he agreed. He wondered offhandedly whether he would ever be able to tell anyone about his experiences when he got back home.

_If..._ he thought for a moment, but he dispelled the thought as quickly as it had come. He had confidence in the group now. He'd get home. It simply would take some time.

"It sounds acceptable to me," he said, speaking to HT. "I am feeling... adventurous tonight, I suppose."

"Alright, I've got one vote," HT said, smiling. He looked expectantly at the others.

"Don't look at me," Chloe said. "Fish equals gross. And they give you cancer."

"I'll take a try," Spryous said, sighing. "I mean, what can it hurt?"

"Good," HT said. "Momentai? Slop?"

"I'm... actually.... not a fish fan either," Slop almost mumbled. "Bad experience with fish once."

"Why? You almost choke on it?" Momentai asked.

"Well, I was lucky that _it_ choked on_ me_," Slop said, completely serious. "Took me ages to get rid of the smell."

"Alright, once again –_ I don't want to hear this_," Chloe said, putting up a hand. "I could've gone my _entire life _without knowing that."

"I guess I'll have some," Momentai said hesitantly. She looked down at the menu. "I mean, do we really need an appetizer, and then an entree too?"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Spryous said.

"It's been ages since we've had an actual meal like this," HT defended. "I say we deserve it."

"Maybe we do..." Momentai said, "... but can we stomach it?"

"I think you guys should be fine to get both," Slop said. "Should be fine. We can always take stuff back to the penthouse, if we have extra."

"Sweet!" Chloe said. "You have no idea what I could do with the 'mashed Aurelian onions'."

"On second thought..."

"Oh, come on! Aequus will want some," Momentai said.

"Alright," Slop said. "But Chloe can't take home anything volatile."

In response, Chloe pouted, sitting low in her chair and looking down at the table.

A waiter with a deep silver tattoo walked up to them. "Good evening."

"Is it?" HT asked. "Evening, I mean? We're in space."

"It's always evening aboard this station," the waiter smiled politely, as if he had answered the question endless times before. "Would you like to order now? Or would you prefer more time to decide?"

"Well, we can start with drinks and appetizers," Slop said, looking up.

"Certainly, sir."

"HT, would you like to go first?" Slop asked, turning to the grizzled man. "Drink?"

"Uh... yeah, what do you have?" HT asked, flipping the menu over to the back.

"We have a selection of rare Sefnosm Wines, imported from the fertile planet. We get the finest vintages, hand picked by our experts," the waiter began, again with the air of extreme practice. He went through a list of all the various liquors and drinks available.

"How about that last one?" HT asked, interrupting him.

"The Termisian Twist?" the waiter asked, putting a finger to the glowing crystal pad in his hands.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"Very good sir," the man said. He turned to Spryous. "And for you, sir?"

"Just water, thanks," Spryous said, nodding.

"Of course."

Next, James ordered a wine of apparently incredibly fine vintage, from a far-flung planet. At this point, James had simply suspended his ability to be shocked by any of the more increasingly strange things that seemed to hang around his adopted group.

"Sprite. Sprite. Sprite," Chloe said impatiently, as the waiter turned to her.

"Uh, pardon me, miss-"

"Sprite. Sprite. Sprite."

"-we don't... have-"

"Sprite. Sprite. Sprite."

"She'll have a Shjeden Fizzler – sans the alcohol," Slop interjected. Looking relieved, the waiter nodded gratefully, and turned to Momentai.

"And, for you, miss?"

Momentai bit her lip, looking at the list of drinks on the menu. "Can I have... a Termisian Twist, like HT?"

"Certainly, miss," the waiter said, nodding and pressing a finger to his crystal pad. He turned to Slop.

"Just a water, thanks – add some Grolian candy-fruit, though," Slop said. The waiter nodded.

"Will that be all?" he asked, looking around the table.

"Actually, we'd also like to order an appetizer," HT said. "The _marras_?"

"With hypershrimp?" the waiter asked. HT nodded. "Yes, sir. Of course."

"And, I'd like the..." Chloe checked her menu, "... the potato rings, or whatever."

"The _spendrel_ ties?" the waiter asked. "With cocktail sauce?"

Chloe looked at Momentai, who nodded. "Yeah," Chloe said, "cocktail sauce." The waiter entered the order in the pad.

"And, finally, if you could tell a friend of mine that we're here, that would be great," Slop said.

"Sir, I'm not sure-"

"Sure you're sure," Slop said, reaching over and tapping several places on the crystal pad in the waiter's hands. The man's eyes went wide, and he smiled slightly. "He's sitting over in section 28. Should be table 77."

"Certainly sir," the waiter said, enthusiastic now. "I will make sure those orders come through right away, and then I'll be back to take anymore orders you may have." He walked away, a slight more bounce in his step than when he came.

"Did you bribe that man?" James asked.

Slop nodded. "Yeah, sure. An extra tip never hurt anybody."

"Who's your friend?" HT asked, looking at Slop.

"Oh, you'll see, I'm sure," their leader said looking back down to his menu.

"Momentai..." Spryous began, looking curiously over at the young woman. "Aren't you only, like fourteen? Why'd you order an alcoholic drink?"

Momentai held up three fingers. "One, I just turned fifteen today. So, I deserve something, right?" she explained, counting down the fingers. "Two, I wanted to see if I could get away with it. Three, why not?"

Spryous opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then closed it again. Instead, he turned to HT, and then to James, looking for support.

HT shrugged. "Hey, it's one drink. And it's not like she's got to drive us back or anything."

"I have no opinion," James said, sensing dangerous ground. Spryous gave him a withering look. "I suppose I can only say that women in my time begin drinking around her age, if not Chloe's-"

"Wait, I can drink?" Chloe asked, sitting straight up in her chair. "For-cereal?"

"NO!" every member of the group responded. Slop had stood up, his hands on the table. There was a brief silence, as Chloe's lip moved back into the pouting position, and she slipped back low in her seat.

The others all looked at each other, and began laughing. Several groups at other tables had looked over, and were staring at them curiously.

"Look, Chloe," Slop began with a grin, sitting back down in his chair, "It's not all it's made up to be. Really. And besides, you're getting the drink you wanted – sort of."

Chloe gave him a look, and then sighed. "Alright," she said. "Totally not fair, but alright."

"Alright, well... at least that's settled," HT sighed, looking around them. "How long will the drinks take?"

"Oh, they should be here pretty soon," Slop said.

James looked around at the other tables. The myriad groups in the restaurant were all clearly and distinctly upper class – James was used to the type. They made small talk as if it were enthralling, and had nothing better to do than gossip or complain. Of all the perks that came with being one of the highest-ranked officers in Singapore, mingling with the nobility, important businessmen, and politicians had never truly appealed to him.

"I wonder how thick the glass is," Spryous said absentmindedly, staring out the windows. "I mean, it's got to be_ thick,_ thick, right?"

"What, the windows?" HT asked. "I don't think it's real glass. There's no glare or flare from them. It's more like there's nothing there."

"But that's impossible," Spryous dismissed. "I mean, if that's the case – then what've they got there?"

"Well, I went to a place – Laurentia..." HT said, his voice getting distant. James could see his eyes gaze outwards and beyond reality, clearly looking into memories of times past. "They had these windows – they weren't actual glass... They had a type of field, or fluid, or something – that was completely thermal: no heat got in or out. However, it put up resistance to objects based on how hard they pushed – so if you tried to walk through it, it would just be like walking through thin air; but if you tried to throw something at it, it just bounced off the barrier. The windows in this place might be something like that."

"They didn't use glass?"

"No, they did – but more as a building material than a window, if that makes any sense."

Spryous posed another opposition to the possibility of the glass-less windows. As he and HT began to get deep in an argument, James decided to read the menu again; out of the corner of his eye, he could see Chloe and Momentai conversing in low voices, and occasionally giggling girlishly. Also, James could see Slop looking out the window – again, like HT, very distant. He wondered what their leader could be thinking about.

Come to think of it, James realized he didn't really know any of the people sitting at the table. It was true that he knew them in the manner of colleagues: he knew their basic personalities, he had picked up some hints of their backgrounds, especially HT's. But he didn't really _know_ them.

Taking him out of his reverie, a handsome young man who looked to be about Slop or Spryous' age – perhaps not quite in his twenties – came over to their table, and stood in front of Momentai. It took her a moment to notice him, but when she did, she cut off her conversation with Chloe and looked up at him slightly uncertainly.

"Yes?" she asked, in an attempt at a sweet tone. To James' ears, it came out as sounding a bit nervous.

"Excuse me, miss. I did not mean to intrude," the young man spoke, in a very thick accent that James could not place. He gestured to the dance floor. "Might I have this dance?"

Momentai stared at him for half a moment, and then looked at the dance floor, and then looked back. "The... dance? I mean... in this-" she stumbled, and James could see that she was blushing slightly. She took a small breath, and then looked up at him more confidently. "Yes, certainly. I'd love to," she said.

"Excellent. I was hoping you'd say so," the man said, grinning a slightly boyish grin, offering to help Momentai up. She smiled back, and with a surprised look at the rest of the table, stood up. The group, silent now, watched as the young man took her through the tables and out onto the floor.

They all watched as he began to take her through the steps – it was a fairly well-paced dance, and Momentai looked incredibly nervous, even from a distance.

"Where's the music?" Spryous asked. "How are they dancing without music?"

"It's an option," Slop said, without taking his eyes off of Momentai and the boy sweeping around on the well-lit floor. "The sounds localized. If you want it on, press the button in the candle."

Spryous leaned over the table, looking at the large candle placed in the center. James noticed that there seemed to be a small panel of some kind set into it, which Spryous now swiped his thumb across. Instantly, the chords of what sounded like a full orchestra came singing to them from all sides. It was very much in James' taste – yet another thing to like about this strange-yet-similar restaurant.

They listened and watched for a moment in near silence.

"Wow," Chloe said, sitting up slightly in her chair so that she could see the pair better. "He's really good."

"He's not that great. It's a simple step," Spryous grumbled.

"I don't know, Spry," HT said, grinning. "She looks like she's having a pretty good time."

"I can't believe she's dancing with him in that dress," Chloe said, audibly in awe. "And those shoes. She's doing really well."

"A little bit envious?" HT asked, sounding amused.

Chloe shrugged. "He's hot. And it looks like he's pretty nice, too. Finding guys like that in this sort of place-" she paused. "Yeah, actually, you know what? I'm jealous."

As they could hear the song begin to end, Spryous stood up suddenly, and began to make his way toward the dance floor.

"It would seem you're not the only one who's jealous," James said, raising an eyebrow. Chloe giggled.

"Spryous?" she laughed again, covering her mouth before it turned into a slight snort. "Oh, man. This is almost as good as that time we tied your feet to the desk in your room, HT."

"You never told me about that," Slop said distractedly, turning slightly to HT.

"Yeah, well, he wouldn't have," Chloe grinned. "We'd set out pans of paint all over the floor of his room, too."

"Do you know how long that pink paint took to get out of my stuff?" HT asked, pretending to be furious.

"Pink?" Slop grinned, actually looking away from the dance floor. "You got covered in-"

"-Pink paint, yeah," HT nodded grimly. "It wasn't pretty. I had just managed to get it all out when you came back – that was the time you were gone for three days."

"Ah, right," Slop said, turning back to the dancers. "Wish they got a picture."

"We did," Chloe laughed again.

"What?" HT asked, clearly unpleasantly surprised. "You never told me that!"

"Yep, you're in your boxers, and everything."

"Where did you put that photo?" HT asked, serious.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Chloe asked mischievously. She looked back over to the dance floor, clearly trying to change the subject. "Oh, look at that – Spryous is moving in."

They watched as Spryous walked over to Momentai and the young man, and tapped her dance partner on the shoulder. The stranger looked up, smiled, and graciously offered Spryous Momentai's gloved hand. Even from the distance they were at, James could see that Momentai wasn't sure what to make of this change – but after a brief moment of indecision, she switched partners; the man she had been dancing with moved off to the side of the floor, sitting on a chair at the edge.

"I'm not sure she's really old enough to be dancing with those guys," Slop said slowly, his fingers tapping against the tablecloth.

"Why not?" James asked, honestly curious. He had seen girls Momentai's age married, and to much older men. "Is she not enjoying herself?"

James saw a muscle twitch in Slop's neck. "No..." their leader said uncertainly. "It looks... I mean, I guess she is. But-"

"Overprotective much?" Chloe muttered. Slop ignored her.

Eventually, their waiter came over with the drinks, and a large plate with a shrimp the size of a large cat. It was on a bed of what looked like a cross between pasta and crab. It certainly smelled delicious, even if the shrimp had three heads.

"Oh, god, it smells like fish. Ick," Chloe hissed, taking her hands off the table in disgust.

"Come on, Chloe," HT said, reaching over and cutting a piece of the shrimp onto his plate. "It smells like fish because it_ is_ fish. But it's good. You should try some."

"Right. Sure thing. I'll get right on that," Chloe said, still looking in alarm at the giant shrimp.

"Are you ready to order anything else?" the waiter asked.

"Actually, we'll wait a little bit," Slop said, prying himself away from watching the dance floor. "If you could come back in several minutes, that'd be great."

"Of course," the waiter said. "And also, sir, the guest you asked me to contact is not available."

"What do you mean he's not available?" Slop asked, suddenly alert.

"He's not there, sir," the waiter said, apologetically. "Section 28 is currently reserved by a third party. Nobody is sitting in it, since the party is not due to arrive for several minutes."

Slop was silent for several moments, looking down at his fingers still tapping on the table. "Alright. Thank-you. I'm sure we'll be able to sort it out," he finally said, looking up and nodding his head at the waiter solemnly.

"Could I get a straw?" Chloe asked, looking at her drink. The waiter pulled one seemingly out of thin air and handed it to her.

"I'm sorry sir," the waiter said again; he bowed out and moved off to another table.

"What was that all about?" HT asked, mouth full of shrimp.

James grabbed a plate of the giant crustacean, and forked over a bed of the _marras _as well. His first bite tasted exactly as he'd expected it to – almost like normal shrimp. The _marras_, on the other hand, had an incredibly sweet aftertaste, almost like blueberries. "This is incredible," he said, after he swallowed. "Chloe, you really must try it. Slop, you as well."

"Hm?" Slop looked up. "Oh, right. Yeah – the food." He took his plate and dumped some of the appetizer onto it. He ate quickly and hungrily, without any of what James might have described manners.

"No thanks," Chloe smiled, sucking on the straw of her drink. She smacked her lips. "Huh. It actually does taste a lot like Sprite. Go figure."

"Somebody should call Momentai and Spryous back over," HT mentioned, between mouthfuls. "They're missing out."

"Spryous did mention that he would like to try it," James agreed.

"Thanks for volunteering, James," HT said. "If you could go and get them?"

James opened his mouth once, and then closed it again, wondering slightly what had just happened. Sadly leaving the pile of delicious, hot food, he got up from his chair and walked out toward the dance floor.

As he got closer, he saw that Momentai was dancing again with the handsome young man; Spryous was standing on the sidelines, holding a drink and tapping his foot with the music.

Inside the actual area of the dance floor, the music was incredibly loud. James felt strangely like an entire orchestra surrounded them, even though there was none. Outside of the music areas, the sounds were largely the tinkling of glasses, the bubble of conversation, and brief peals of laughter. Inside the dance area, the music was everything.

James walked up behind Spryous, and put his hand on his shoulder. The masked young man turned in surprise, as if jerked from sleep. "What?" he asked.

"The dinner has arrived, Spryous. I am collecting you and Momentai. I'm certain you can come back to the dancing later."

Spryous smiled wanly. "Thanks, James, but I don't think that's gonna happen."

"What? Why not?"

"Look over there," Spryous gestured to Momentai dancing across the floor. She noticed James and grinned broadly over at them. "She's having a lot of fun with him. She can come back to dance, but I don't think I'm interested."

"Nonsense," James said. "That's a load of bullocks. She was enjoying dancing with you immensely."

"How could you tell?" Spryous asked, slightly amused. "You were way over at the other table."

James leaned in close, fixing Spryous with his eye. "Trust me, Spryous. When you have been to as many of these ridiculous parties as I have, you begin to notice things."

Spryous shook his head, although he was smiling.

"Come on," James said nodding to their table, "have some food. You can worry about all this later."

"Right," Spryous said, looking a deal more pleased. With a final look over at Momentai, he went over back to the table.

Nodding in satisfaction, James walked out onto the dance floor, over to where the pair was dancing. The music around them was reaching a crescendo, and James could tell it had only a minute or more until the dance was ended.

As he moved up to them, Momentai noticed him, raising an eyebrow. The young man was too busy dancing, his eyes half-closed, focusing on Momentai, enjoying the dance. James moved up and interrupted them, tapping the young man on the shoulder.

"Pardon me," he said smoothly. "If I might borrow your partner for a few moments?"

"The song is almost over, Sir," the youth said, sounding slightly miffed. "It would be fi-"

"I'm not certain we understand each other," James said, smiling politely. "If you do not leave now I shall inform the staff of the fine silver you have been stealing. With good cause, I'm sure."

The young man opened his mouth once, and then closed it again. He looked vaguely impressed, and respectful. With a nod to Momentai, and an incredibly mean-spirited look at James, he back out of the dance, moving off towards the other end of the restaurant.

James offered his hand, and, as the song neared its end, they danced. James, of course, had had much more practice in this instance then he might have wished – he knew the steps by instinct, nearly.

"Wow," Momentai said, as he guided her across the floor. It was a bit awkward, as she did not quite reach his neck, but as comfortable as some other dance partners James had had. "You're really good."

"You are quite graceful yourself, mademoiselle."

Momentai grinned nervously. "Thanks." Then, she turned serious. "How did you know that guy was-"

"As I told Spryous, when you've been to as many of these functions as I, you notice things," James shrugged simply. "It was rather obvious."

"Well, he wasn't that great of a dancer, anyway," Momentai sighed.

"It certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself," James said, looking down into her face seriously.

"Well, yeah, I was," Momentai admitted. They paused as James swung her out at a swell in the music. Then, the concerto was over, and they stood frozen for several moments, both slightly sweating, as several of the tables clapped loudly.

With that, they straightened themselves, James offering Momentai his arm as they walked back toward the table.

"He _was_ really nice," Momentai said wistfully.

"Nicety is nearly as common as indecency," James said, shaking his head. "Nicety alone is not enough of a judge of character. I knew many men who were nice, when they wanted to be – one of them beat his wife regularly."

Momentai didn't say anything for a moment as they skirted around several tables, and around a waiter bearing several large dishes.

"Well, thanks for helping out, anyway," she said finally. "I guess."

He smiled good-naturedly. "Certainly. It was perhaps wrong of me to assume that you needed help, but I could tell you were – what's the expression – 'way out of your league'."

Momentai grinned slightly at that. "Yeah, maybe I was. No more dancing tonight, I guess."

"Perhaps," James said.

They reached the table, and James pulled out Momentai's chair for her, allowing her to sit down. Then, he went over to his own seat, looking forward to more of the delicious shrimp.

The others had already finished a good amount of the giant crustacean. HT was polishing off what looked like the remains of its head, and Spryous was digging into what appeared to be second helpings. Slop was sipping at his drink politely, still looking slightly worried. Chloe, at least, looked happier then when James had left.

She munched happily on one of the rings that she had ordered, dipping it into the crimson depths of a bowl of cocktail sauce.

"You know, this really was a good idea," she said pleasantly, in-between bites. "But I still think we should go to a McDonald's or something sometime. Or In-n-Out. Something fun."

"This isn't fun?" HT asked. "Come on! We're in a_ giant space restaurant_! This is awesome!"

Chloe tilted her head from side to side. "Well, yeah, that's cool. But, I mean, it would be funner if we didn't have to get all dressed up or anything. Just hang out."

"Hang on what?" James asked, curious.

Chloe looked at him oddly for several long seconds; then, she ignored his comment, and turned back to HT.

"Don't you think that would be hella awesome?" she asked eagerly.

"I'm in the middle of eating the most delicious thing I've ever had in my entire life," Spryous said, mouth full. "Don't talk to me about eating somewhere else right now."

"Maybe some other time, Chloe," Slop said suddenly. He looked at her. "But not for awhile, alright? I chose this place partly because we need to not be found. I mean, you _do _know they could find us if they were really looking all over the place. Luckily, they don't rank us that high on their threat list quite yet. Ketsuek wasn't that big of a guy – I have a feeling we don't rank as high on their priority list as some things."

"Like what?" HT asked.

"And what does that have to do with delicious double-double cheeseburgers?" Chloe demanded.

"Well, HT first," Slop said, looking to the other man. "First of all, they have to maintain the empire they already have. It's a hell of a job to keep demon generals from fracturing – turning into factions. It drains a lot of their energy just to keep their army together.

"Then, of course," Slop continued, "there's other armies. I mean, yes – Kuroouja's army is enormous. But there are some other armies that are pretty hard for him to stamp out. I know that recently he's been having some problems with a space-faring people. Conquering them is proving to be more difficult than he thought – his navy really isn't all that large. If anything, it's his weak-point. I mean, he's gonna win, probably. But it'll take a while. He'll have to focus all of his troops available – which is why we can partly go unnoticed right now."

"Alright, and what about In-n-Out?" Chloe asked, slightly impatiently.

"I was getting to that," Slop said, turning to her. "As much as Kuroouja's focused on a lot of things right now, he still has hunters everywhere. I want to take as few risks as possible. That's why I took us to this place, partly. I know it. I know there are no spies here. Other places," he shrugged, "I'm not so sure about."

The waiter arrived at that moment with the next course.

"We ordered for you while you were away, Momentai and James," HT said. "Hope you don't mind."

"No, it's O.K," Momentai said, eying her pasta-looking dish eagerly.

"Yes, it's fine," James agreed. He wasn't so sure he liked the look of what was in front of him – it was almost akin to a giant mushroom made of blue meat – but it certainly smelled delicious.

"Well, dig in!" Spryous said eagerly.

"As good a blessing as any," James muttered, cutting a small corner off of the edge of his mushroom.

Around the table, everyone attacked their entree with great gusto. It was almost as if they hadn't eaten for a month – which, in a manner of speaking, some of them hadn't. James personally didn't find anything wrong with the cereal – which was delicious – but a break for a true and hearty meal was certainly wonderful. He couldn't complain.

The meat, if that's what it was, tasted exquisite. James looked around the table, and everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. HT had what looked like a kind of rib dish, and was tearing at hit ravenously. Momentai seemingly couldn't get in fork-fulls fast enough. It seemed that the Coalition might also have been slightly lacking in table decorum; however, James wouldn't worry about it. They were no longer in his time. Perhaps in this one, the manners they displayed were acceptable.

As he looked up again, however, his eyes were drawn to a figure, walking up to their table. He was dressed in a tasteful and slightly extravagant coat – bronze with black embroidery. As he approached, Slop looked up – even though the man approached from behind him.

Slop turned around in his chair, smiling, as the man reached them. "Well, you had me worried for a bit there, Taiyo."

The man, his wizened face weathered and ragged, nodded apologetically. "It took me longer to arrive then I thought. I had to take the long way around."

"Ah," Slop said, nodding. "Yeah, that would hold you up."

Everyone had stopped eating now, and was looking at the newcomer. Slop turned back to them, standing up.

"Everyone," he began, gesturing to the bronze-cloaked man, "this is Taiyououja. He is – or, was – one of Kuroouja's generals."

"Just call me Taiyo," the old-looking man said.

Chloe, HT and Spryous stood up, HT's hand in his jacket – clearly reaching for a pistol.

"He's one of Kuroouja's servants?" HT demanded. "What is he doing here? Slop, you better explain this right now."

"Relax, HT," Slop said. "He's a good guy."

"I've seen him before, HT," Momentai said, still sitting down. "Chill. He's a buddy of Slop's."

James looked around and the other tables. "Yes, please sit, HT. We're garnering too much attention." Some of the people at other tables were looking over curiously.

Looking around as well, HT grumbled under his breath and sat down; however, he didn't quite lower his hand from reaching distance of his gun – he stuck it in a coat pocket nearby.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm certain," Taiyo said. "I know all of you already of course-" he turned to each of them in turn as he spoke, "- you're HT, Spryous, Miles, Fujiaki, and last but not least, miss Momentai."

"How do you know us already?" Spryous asked, his expression guarded.

"Well," the man said, shrugging benignly, "I've made it my business to know. I have... an investment in the downfall of our common enemy. Ergo, it was natural for me to align myself with you all, and help you wherever possible."

"Help us whenever possible?" Chloe asked. "Some help. None of us have ever seen it."

"Being obvious... isn't how I do things," Taiyo said, still smiling. It seemed that he had a pleasant grin permanently affixed to his face. "But, rest assured, I have been helping you all every way I can."

"Which is one of the reasons I arranged this," Slop interjected. "I wanted you all to meet one of our benefactors."

"_One?_" HT asked.

James wasn't surprised. Every campaign needed friends in high places to support it. It was a matter of course.

"Yes, one," Slop nodded. "Besides that, I had – have – some business to talk with-"

"But that can wait until later," Taiyo interrupted, pulling up a chair seemingly out of thin air, and sitting down in-between Momentai and Slop."Right now, let's all enjoy our meal."

"Well, at least somebody's got their priorities straight," Chloe muttered, digging into her food again.

Still a bit perturbed, HT turned back to his meal, while keeping one eye on the newcomer. Following his lead, Spryous began eating again. Slowly, everything seemed to go back to normal.

Taiyo tried to start several conversations, acting perfectly as if their was nothing unusual about their situation. James ended up telling him about the naval defenses around Singapore, and Chloe told him about living in some place called 'Hawaii'.

"The Sandwich Islands," Taiyo said to him, noticing his confusion. James nodded in recognition.

Even HT participated. It seemed that this Taiyo could be comfortable in any situation, and certainly acted like the life of the party, laughing uproariously at a joke, or offering Momentai some of his extra dinner.

"Take it. I couldn't possibly eat anymore. I can guarantee it," he said, scooping the rest of his onto Momentai's plate.

"So, what do you do, exactly?" Spryous asked. "I mean-"

"I know what you mean," Taiyo said. "No, it's a fair question." He sat back in his chair, clearly mulling it over in his head. "Well, before I left – it was a question of professional integrity, really – I occupied the position of Sun King in Kuroouja's army."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"You're absolutely right," the man nodded. "If you would allow me to continue, I suppose you could say now I am focused on one thing: turning my not inconsiderable resources toward bringing down Kuroouja. My colleagues – you might call them servants – and I collect information, sabotage, and generally attempt to wreak havoc."

"If that is, indeed, the case," James began curiously, "then why have you not simply joined forces with us, instead of 'helping' sporadically?"

"Alas, a very good question," Taiyo said gravely. "You see, my powers are not so great as when I left Kuroouja's army. My forces are not strong at all, and we've been forced to keep a very low profile, merely doing damage in the shadows, while we can. Besides that, I wouldn't want to attract unwanted attention to your group. Kuroouja knows about me. How much he knows about your little rebellion is unknown."

"Icksnay on the ittlelay alktay," Momentai muttered, casting a furtive glance over at Chloe, who was concentrating on tearing her dinner limb from limb.

Slop folded up the napkin that had been on his lap, and stood up. "Taiyo – our window's closing..."

"Your right of course," the man sighed, standing up as well. He bowed to the group in general. "It's been wonderful to meet you all."

"The pleasure was ours," James assured. The others nodded.

"Good. If we could talk over this way?" Slop began walking out through the tables, Taiyo close behind. They soon lost sight of them in the maze of waiters and patrons.

"I wonder what they're talking about?" Spryous sighed. "I mean, how come we can't hear it?"

"Go figure. It's not like it's that important, anyway," Momentai shrugged. "I mean, we know the basic plan. The specifics – well, we'll get there when we get there. You know?"

"I guess..." Spryous said uncertainly. "I'd still like to know what they're talking about."

"My guess is they're discussing strategy," HT said, his voice low. "I mean, that's got to be one of the reasons we're in two groups, right? So that they can coordinate attacks and take down multiple targets. Gotta be; besides, Taiyo's explanation of why he didn't combine his group with ours was kind of weak. I've got a feeling that he doesn't exactly put a lot of stock in us – or maybe he just wants to keep us manageable."

"I don't like the sound of that," Momentai said, a bit worriedly. "Are you saying Slop's withholding... valuable information from us?"

"But you just said-" Spryous started to complain. Momentai cut him off.

"I said he didn't always tell us his plans. That's different from _keeping things from us intentionally_," she said, looking a bit frightening. James did not want to see Momentai truly angry.

All of them were slightly cowed by this outburst, and they went back to eating their meal awkwardly. James had almost finished the last chunk of his blue mushroom meat when Momentai spoke again.

"I don't know," she sighed, as if releasing tension she had been holding in for some time. "I'm going to talk to him. We need to talk."

The others nodded, although James wondered for a moment who had appointed Momentai the ambassador to their leader. It didn't bother him as much as he thought it would – after all, she had been in contact with Slop the longest. It just struck him as odd for a moment: so unlike any kind of command he had ever been in.

But perhaps that wasn't true. In many battalions, or regiments, there were second-in-commands who always had the ear of the commander; with it came certain responsibilities – including suggesting better plans when the lead officer didn't have any. It was only this time that it wasn't a regiment – in fact, if James had to put his finger on it, he would have said they operated more closely to a family group. And, of course, there was the fact that Momentai was a woman; however, James had to admit that that fact had ceased to phase him. It was simply the way things were.

"Well, you might get a chance-" HT said, looking back over his shoulder. "Here they come back."

Slop and Taiyo were worming their way back, the latter laughing loudly at some joke Slop had just made; their leader was walking almost as if he'd had one too many Termisian Twists. He almost tripped over a waiter's boots, and Taiyo had to catch him, laughing at Slop's mishap.

"Are you guys drunk?" Momentai asked, her eyebrows furrowed, as the two walked up to the table, Slop leaning on Taiyo's shoulder.

"Hm?" Taiyo asked turning his ear toward the young woman. She repeated herself, and he and Slop grinned stupidly. "Yes, completely smashed. You may have him back now." Taiyo leaned over, easing Slop back into his chair. However, he overshot, and Slop rolled out of the chair and onto the floor. Giggling now, their leader pushed himself back up into his chair.

"This," Slop gurgled happily, "is why I don't drink."

"How could you be drunk?" Chloe demanded. "You guys were gone for like, ten minutes!"

"I'm impressed," HT said, slightly in awe.

"Yes, well, we had a very good chat at least," Taiyo said. He didn't appear nearly as drunk as Slop was. James wasn't sure if he'd ever seen someone who was worse at holding their liquor. "Got lots of business done."

"Yeah, looks like it," Chloe quipped, sipping at the last of her Fizzler.

"Well," Taiyo said broadly, stretching. "Now that I've delivered him back to you all, I'll take my leave. I'm sure you'll hear from me again. Again, it's been wonderful meeting you all."

"Yeah..." HT muttered, feeling Slop's pulse and looking into his eyes. "Been great. Drop by again sometime."

"If you need to contact us again-" Momentai began, but Taiyo cut her off with a wave.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll simply contact Slop, don't worry. You'll all know when I need to talk to you."

"Will we?" Spryous asked, skeptically. "That's funny, because we had no idea-"

"Thank-you," James cut in, keeping Spryous from committing a faux-pas. "And if we should need to contact you?"

"I'll be around if you need me, you can trust to that," Taiyo nodded solemnly. At that moment, he backed away from the table, and a waiter passed in front of him. When the waiter passed, the old man was gone.

"Ah, Christ. I hate it when people do that," Chloe complained. "Gives me the creeps."

"Is Slop... okay?" Momentai asked worriedly, leaning over their leader with HT.

"I think so..." HT said distractedly. "I don't think the old guy drugged him or anything. Like he said, he just got really, really drunk – really, really fast."

"I can hear what you guys are saying, you know," Slop slurred. "HT, did you know that your adam's apple is _really_ big? Seriously, it's huuuuge." He gurgled again as he tried to laugh.

"Somebody get a cell phone," Chloe said evilly. "We're so putting this on YouTube."

Suddenly, Slop straightened, his eyes wide: it was almost like somebody had poked him with a pin. But he didn't look hurt: simply alert. He pushed away from HT and Momentai looking over him, and stood up.

"We've got to go," he said quickly, looking around at them, but also looking slightly distant.  
"Now."

"What?" Spryous asked, who hadn't _quite_ finished his dinner. "Did you even_ see _the dessert menu?"

"Wait, Slop – what is it? What's going on?" Momentai asked. But Slop had already started walking toward the direction of the exit, looking much more steady on his feet that he had only moments before.

"Dammit," HT muttered. Then, to the others: "Well, come on. We might as well follow him."

They all got up, and started to weave their way through the tables after him. Jogging slightly, Momentai caught up with their leader first.

"What's going on?" she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Slop stopped, momentarily. He turned around. "It's... it's a feeling. I – I can't really explain-"

"Just tell us," Momentai said, holding onto Slop tightly. "Try, _for once_, to let us know what's going on."

He put both of his hands on her shoulders, and looked into her face with the look of someone who knew the future. "Trust me, alright? Please – just trust me."

They stood their for several moments, seemingly at an impasse. James and the others waited, several steps back; Chloe had taken what was left of Momentai's drink and was sipping at it. Spryous saw this, and took it from her; he placed it the empty plate of one of the passing waiters. Chloe sighed in defeat.

"Alright," Momentai said finally. "But after this, we need to talk."

Slop nodded, and then without another word turned back on the path he had been going.

They all followed at a pace reminiscent of a fast jog. James narrowly dodged a group of waiters bearing an enormous cake that cut in front of him.

However, instead of going all the way back toward the exit, the way they had come, Slop veered off in a different direction.

"Wait, Slop-" HT tried, but they soon saw what their leader was planning as he went over to one of the waiter entrance stairs, and hopped down it.

Momentai shared a glance with Chloe before following, taking the white – slightly luminescent steps two at a time. James and the others followed not far behind.

Below the main floor, the hallways were long and crowded, glowing white with some kind of internal light. The noise above them died out unnaturally fast, until all they could hear was the clattering of pots and the yelling of orders.

Streams of waiters and waitresses – all tattooed in ridiculously intricate patterns on their faces, down one side of their necks, and beyond sight – pushed by, some giving the group odd glances, but mostly ignoring them.

Slop walked ahead of them, taking an odd turn down a different hallway, but otherwise taking no discernible care to where they were going.

James looked through some of the open doorways that led off the hallways, viewing a strange world of seemingly endless kitchens, and related rooms. He could see men and women in white smocks committing every food-preparing activity possible.

However, after what seemed like several long minutes of bustling through the densely-crowded hallways, Slop turned off into a room that no waiters came out of.

They followed him in, to find they were in what seemed to be a large storage room. There were several tables stacked up on one side, and towers of boxes throughout. They clustered in, and Slop closed the door behind them.

"Alright guys," he said, flexing his fingers, "let's get out of here." They stepped back, giving Slop some room in the center of the chamber. However, Slop gestured to HT. "Help me out here," he said, beckoning. HT nodded silently, and walked over to where Slop was standing.

Together, in the center of the room, they focused – the intensity in the air almost tangible. After several moments, the both of them sliced across their hands in an awkward motion, and a tear opened up in the middle of the room.

"Here we go again..." Chloe muttered.

HT stepped through first, and the rest followed, Slop wordlessly bringing up the rear. As James walked through, he wondered if they were truly in the best situation for all of this – Momentai was still in her dress, although it looked like she had brought better (actual) shoes: she had slipped into them while they were waiting for the portal, putting the others in a stylish bag.

The trip was as disorienting as usual; this time, it felt like being pushed through a series of hanging, wet sheets. However, when he had exited the portal, James was surprised at what he found.

It wasn't that it was highly unusual; in fact, it was certainly more normal than the giant restaurant in space. What surprised James was how dramatic a change it was from their previous location.

They were in a small dirt clearing, surrounded on all sides by endless plains of four-foot tall grass, stretching out to the horizon; the tall stalks swayed and whispered in the slight breeze.

The moon was high, shining down on the flat world, giving everything a ghostly tint. The light reflected off the grass all around them gave the impression of an ocean, waves rolling slowly back and forth along the surface.

HT was on the edge of the clearing, his pistols – which he had apparently brought with him – raised, and clearly listening for any sign of danger. Momentai was helping Chloe up, who looked like she had just tripped on a stone in the ground. After she got up, she turned around and stomped on the rock several times.

Spryous came through next, and tossed a pair of pistols to James. "Here. You use them again," he said.

"You brought them?"

"Well, not exactly," Spryous said. " I had them in the form of a phone and a wallet sitting in my front pocket."

"Ah," James said, nodding. "Well, in that case, thank-you."

"So that's what that was," Momentai mumbled.

"What?" Spryous said, looking over to her.

"Nothing," the young woman said quickly, brushing off her dress. "I can't believe I'm wearing this out here. Couldn't you have given us time to change?" she asked, looking over to Slop, who had just come through the portal.

"No," Slop said, closing the tear in space behind him. "Wasn't enough time." Immediately after this, he turned and strode off through the grass, taking out a hidden blade, and slashing in front of him, making a path.

"How far is it?" Momentai asked.

"Don't know. Not too far."

Momentai sighed, and then followed after their leader. She put a hand on his shoulder, and stopped him from cutting the grass in front of them. After he had stopped, she simply waved her hand, and the sea parted – revealing a path. "Try doing things the easy way," she said, taking the lead.

The others followed, Spryous last this time. He looked slightly nervous, and James was pretty sure why – his powers were quite possibly catastrophic in this terrain. James had seen fires in India go through this type of brush and completely rage out of control.

They beat on through the path in silence, the only sound what might have been a katydid and a grasshopper far in the distance.

Momentai kept pushing back the grass, sometimes changing directions as Slop directed.

"Are we close yet?" Chloe asked, looking around. "Because I still don't see anything."

But Slop had stopped, and put a finger up to his lips. The group silenced itself immediately, HT swiveling his head from side to side, scanning. James made sure his pistols were set to fire.

After several tense moments, Slop stepped forward, and knelt down, wading off into the grass.

"Slop!" Momentai hissed. "Where are you _going_?"

He turned around, still crouched, and gestured for Momentai and Spryous to go around, until they came to a clearing. HT, Chloe, and James were supposed to walk the other way. James got the impression that they were trying to encircle something very close by.

That was when he heard it: a shout, possibly human. Afterward, a snarl echoed through the air. The group walked there separate ways, Slop wading off through the grass. James followed HT around, pushing forward into the grass while they tried to make the least noise possible. It wasn't that hard, as the sound of the wind through the grass all but covered their footsteps.

HT suddenly crouched down, and the other two followed his lead. He gestured for them to come forward, and they crept up to where he was.

Putting a finger to his lips unnecessarily, he pointed out through the grass to what appeared to be a large clearing.

James looked out, and wasn't pleased by what he saw. It appeared to be a lone figure, surrounded by large, dark lizard-like creatures on two legs, covered in strangely glowing patterns and tattoos.

"Holy-" Chloe breathed. "Are those _velociraptors_?"

HT nodded. Chloe clearly tried very hard not to laugh.

"Okay, two thoughts," she whispered. "Number one, this fight is gonna be fucking _awesome_. Two: we are so screwed."

"Only one way to find out," HT said.

James sighed. "I don't suppose we have a plan?"

There was a cry, and Momentai and Spryous jumped out of the grass on the far side of the clearing.

"That'd be a no," Chloe grinned.

* * *

So, that's another one done. Methinks I'm gonna wait until more of you have written more of your own, (at least your intros) before I do another. I've just got to say that I've been enjoying everything everyone's been doing - it's awesome.

And, yes, that guy at the end being attacked is supposed to be Razen.


	5. Chapter 5

Alright, short one. Might lead into something. I'm sorry to see that there has been a lack of activity lately - let's take this chance to reinvigorate it! I'm thinking, for the next major theme everyone writes on: Battle of the Space Civilization. I'll talk to Slop about it, anyway. At any rate:

The waterfalls churn, sending rushing water down to whatever abyss lies below. Their roar echoes throughout the small courtyard, a small bird alighting and washing itself in a bath fed from the river itself.

The carefully groomed trees sway in the wind – it's always blowing, the spray from the waterfall below the city thrown back into the breeze. There is the smell of the damp everywhere, and the white courtyard's stones glisten with a sheen of moisture.

The bird, engrossed in its bath, does not notice the cat below. The hunting feline slinks closer, directly under the bath, its tail and ears low. It eyes its oblivious prey hungrily.

A strange sucking sound fills the air; in the center of the courtyard, what could only be described as... a rip appears. The rip can't be seen but from only straight-on – from all other sides, it is nearly invisible. Through the tear in space is darkness, smudged as if half-erased, but the faint sound of thunder comes through. The bird startles, and takes off – the cat hisses in distaste, and retreats.

A tall, lanky figure steps through, soaked and miserable. He carries an equally drenched girl in his arms, and an enormous sword on his back. The sides of his heavy, grandiose coat drag, wet and beaten, on the ground.

The young man doesn't look around – he moves away from the portal immediately, and sets the girl down against the stone wall. Her eyes are closed as if in sleep, her dark hair plastered against her forehead.

The first man looks up at the footsteps of another stepping through the portal. This one is menacing, clothes dark, soaked, and burnt – his face is covered by a mask.

"Hell," Spryous says, "I liked that place."

Seeing it is a friend, and reassured, the cloaked man turns back to the girl, lifting her eyelids and looking into her pupils. "We've had to move before – I have, anyway. So has Momentai. We'll adjust," Slop says, without turning around.

Spryous walks over to a carved stone bench, and collapses onto it. "Still," he says. "We were there a long time. Me, HT, James, Razen – we all joined up there."

"Don't get attached to anywhere," Slop reprimands. He is new listening to Chloe's slow, shallow breaths. He nods, content that she'll be alright. He stands, turning to Spryous. "Where are the others?"

Spryous shakes his head. "I don't know. I'm still trying to get my bearings – did you see how hard that servant hit me? I flew – felt like I was Superman." He looks around. "This seems like a nice place, though."

The portal makes a strange sound; three figures and two smaller animals rush into the courtyard. They are breathing hard, as if they had just run several miles.

The first, droplets of water shaking off of his straggly hair, gives a deep sigh. He hoists a smooth, deadly pistol. "What happened? Is everybody here?"

Momentai, panting, looks around at the assembled group. "It looks like everybody's – wait, where's James?" She is distracted as she spots Chloe, and runs over to her.

Slop looks up, and then at HT. "James? Where is he?"

HT looks back at the portal. "Christ – everything back there was confused. Next time, we're not having the hideout so high."

The other man, with a soaked red jacket, and dogged brown hair, shakes his head in disbelief. "Man – when I signed on, you should of told me we were gonna have to fight while falling. I hate falling."

"Sorry about that, Razen-" Momentai looks up sheepishly. "I should've caught you faster."

"It's not a big deal," he says. "The last time I saw James was right after the attack started – he was out in the hallway, wasn't he?"

HT nods. "That's right. He was on guard duty. Just came back when the Furies attacked. I hate those guys – as if giant birds wasn't enough, they had to be giant _demon _birds. Overkill."

"We have to go back in and get him," Razen said, and the others nodded. Spryous got up, and began walking over to the portal, while HT checked that his pistols were working properly. Razen looks down at the sword on his side, and it glistens with a strange shimmer.

"What?" he draws the sword, and it appears to have a layer of slime coating it.

"Oh, wonderful. What'd you stick that in?" HT asks.

Razen shakes his head. "It just changed to match this place. I guess they have swords coated in... whatever this is."

Suddenly, the portal groans again. A figure in a worn uniform – and a very large creature – burst out, the portal closing behind them. Confused, the demon looks around. It sees its situation, and shrieks. But James is faster – he fires the pistol in his hand, straight up through the birds head. The beast collapses to the side, and James gets out from under it, brushing brain matter off of his sleeve.

"We were just coming to get you," HT says. "You alright?"

James nods. "Fine. Would someone be so kind as to tell me what the hell happened back there?"

Everyone turns to Slop, who shrugs out of his heavy coat, and sets it on the ground next to Chloe to dry. The small reptile goes over to her and curls up in her rising and falling lap.

"I don't know for sure, but I think they tracked us last mission."

"How?" Momentai asks worriedly. "Could they be doing it now?"

"I don't think so," Slop adds. "It was just that one Servant we faced – the one with the..."

"God-ugly mug, and tweezer-hands?" Spryous tries. Slop nods.

"I think it was a tracker. Must have placed a tracking bug on us, and we didn't notice. It wasn't a spell – I would've known."

The group gathers its bearings for several moments, lying out in the courtyard, catching their breath. Momentai and Slop tend to Chloe, and Razen inspects some cuts on James' back.

"Should be fine," he nods. "I mean, you've been out here longer then me, so-"

"Haven't had the pleasure of fighting those god-forsaken things, though," James laughs bitterly. "Like hunting wild game, in a way – only they're trying to kill you."

Razen looked around. "Where are we, anyway? It's nice."

"Just some world. Third level. We could hang out here for a long time, if we needed to," Slop said. "That sound is the waterfall – the city is on top of it."

"Really? That's cool," Spryous said.

"Yeah, well, I had a place hidden away here, so..."

"How many 'places' do you have," HT grumbled. "Did you ever think it would be important for us to know how many, and where? I mean, suppose we need to regroup somewhere – you don't want what happened with Ketsuekiouja to happen again, right?"

Slop turned toward steps that led out of the courtyard, and then stopped. He turned towards the group, who waited for him to speak.

"Look – I have a lot of hideouts. It might be a liability if you knew all of them-" he raised his hand, expecting protest, "-and that doesn't mean I don't trust you guys..."

"That's exactly what it sounds like to me," HT grumbled.

Slop shook his head. "Come on. You know that isn't true."

"Well, you do disappear for days at a time, and you never really tell us what you're up to," Momentai sighed. "HT's got a point, if you ask me."

James watched the growing discontent carefully. "Perhaps," he finally said, "it would be best for you to adopt a second-in-command. That way, you might have someone to share your confidences with, and to lead things when you're not around."

Slop looked at him in surprise. "A... second in command?"

HT nodded. "I like that idea. Come to think of it, the only reason we haven't had one in the past is because we've been so small. Well," he gestured to the group, "we're bigger now. How big do we expect to get?"

"Any being who wants to help us, and is true to the cause of justice, can help," Slop said, almost memorized. Then, he softened. "So, I guess, we can conceivably get as big as we want."

"See? You'll need a second in command for that."

"But," Slop tried, "come on. It wouldn't be fair – do you guys honestly want somebody... I don't know... above you?"

"Oh, be real," Chloe said, groaning slightly. Momentai turned to her.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked.

"Long enough," Chloe mumbled. "As I was saying, Slop – nobody's gonna be a douche about it. I mean, we trust each other, right? Whoever you picked wouldn't really be above us. They'd just be in charge. Not the same thing."

"I'll think about it," Slop said, giving in. Gruffly, he turned and headed up the steps. "Come on, we've got to get moving," he called over his shoulder.

Momentai helped up Chloe, but the smaller girl pushed her friend off, claiming she could walk just fine. The others passed around some meaningful looks, then followed Slop up the steps.

* * *

The dust inside was heavy, the small room nothing more than a hostel. As Slop opened the door, the light cast the dust-covered furniture in sharp relief.

The group moved slowly in, the sound of the waterfalls outside clearly audible.

"It's a bit of a step down, don't you think?" Razen asked skeptically.

"Not easy to defend, I imagine," James added. "Wood burns."

"That's why this isn't the hideout," Slop said, grinning slightly. He moved over to the corner of the room.

"I don't get it," Spryous said.

"Please don't tell me there's a trap door," Chloe said, exasperated and out of breath from traversing the city. "That's so corny."

Slop shook his head. "Not exactly. And they're not 'corny'. They're useful."

He moved a long wooden table away from the wall, and bent down to the floor below. He tapped something the others couldn't see in the wood planks, and a part of the far wall slid open.

"Told you," Chloe sighed.

HT walked over to the door, looking in. "It's dark."

"Not further down, it's not," Slop said.

James shuffled toward the door, and walked in after HT. It was indeed dark, and the air smelled damp. The steps were small, and clearly carved a long time before.

"I'm not sure the living conditions down here meet up with my Union's standards," Spryous joked.

"Shut up, Spryous. We don't have a Union. We're wage slaves," HT barbed back.

"You would be, except I'm not paying you," Slop echoed from the top of the steps.

"Remind me why I'm walking down the dark, deep, wet, secret hole for free?" HT asked sarcastically.

The darkness seemed to close in around them. Spryous provided some light, but his own flame began to sputter out after several long minutes.

"Christ, it's damp down here," he said, annoyed. "I don't like it."

"Almost there," Slop reassured. "Don't worry."

Finally, they reached the bottom of the stairwell. James looked around in awe. They were in a large underground chamber. Large pillars held up the ceiling, and what was clearly supposed to be a large bath lay carved into the center of the floor.

"What was that you said about there being light down here?" HT asked.

"Don't worry, there is," Slop said. He walked over to the far side of the room, and the rest of the group followed. Spryous was struggling to keep his flame alive.

"Sorry, I'm just dead tired," he explained. That second, the flame blew out, and the room was plunged into darkness.

But only for a moment. Suddenly, the light spilled in. Slop had opened the door, and light was streaming in. Slop grinned, the light playing across his face, and moved through the door.

"How is that... possible?" Momentai asked, walking through.

James crossed the threshold and looked around.

Inside was an untouched Eden. The cave's ceiling was impossibly high, and the chamber was long as two frigates tied end-to-end. All around them was green, verdant grass, and a small pond fed by a waterfall that tumbled into the chamber loudly. There were trees lit by the glistening sunshine.

"Where's the light coming from?" Spryous asked.

Slop pointed up – the group looked, and saw enormous crystals protruding from the ceiling, beaming down like the sun on the cave interior.

"Wow," Momentai breathed.

"Where do we sleep?" Chloe asked, looking around. "Over there?"

James followed her gaze. Near the lake, embedded into the lichen-covered cave wall, was a small chapel-esque building. It had no windows, simply opening out onto the wonder around it.

"Yep, that's the place," Slop nodded. "Took a long time to find this place and excavate, but we managed it."

"We?" HT raised an eyebrow.

"It's... not important," Slop said. "It was a long time ago. This was one of the first worlds I ever visited."

The group absorbed the information quietly – Slop had never before told them anything remotely related to his past. After another moment, Razen walked out towards the chapel.

"It looks like it could use a little paint, but it should be fine for us," he said, almost to himself. He put a hand on the handle of his sword at his belt, and looked back at the group. "Let's get settled, huh? We can figure out what to do next after that."

Slop nodded, a little surprised. "Right. That's... what I was about to suggest, actually."

"Alright, then."

"Slop, pardon me for asking..." James said slowly, "but how does air filter down in this place? It doesn't seem like there would be enough this far down."

The leader tilted his head to the side, thinking it over. "I'm not sure, actually. That's a good question."

"I bet it's all the plants," Momentai said, gesturing around. She seemed quite pleased with their new surroundings. "They must produce a good amount of oxygen. Other than that, some probably drifts down from the tunnel."

"It's breathable. That's all I know," HT took a deep lungful; he looked out down the slope of the cave floor towards Razen, who was already half-way to the chapel.

"Flammable, too," Spryous added, making a small fire flicker in his palm. He grinned and put it out. "Guess I gotta be careful in this place, huh?" He laughed, and walked towards the chapel.

Momentai glared after him. "Don't even think about it. This place is pristine. We're not going to mess with it if we can help it-" she turned to Slop imperially "-right?"

Slop looked at the resolute woman in front of him, and nodded his head. "Yeah. Of course."

Satisfied, Momentai nodded her head, and walked down the slope. Chloe shrugged, and walked after down after her.

"What's going to happen next?" HT asked Slop, lowering his voice.

Slop measures him carefully for a moment. "We'll see. Let's take it one step at a time."

"You know it's better to plan ahead – we should have one in place by tomorrow."

"We'll take that into consideration. Come on, let's find out if there's any mattresses."

The two walked down, leaving only James left on the crest of the cave floor. A small, scaled bird-like creature flitted down to the ground nearby. The man studies it for a moment, as it hunts for prey in the damp and fertile grass.

"How'd I end up here?" he asked himself out-loud. He was troubled. Both by the destruction of their hideout in the rain-soaked city, and by their lack of progress.

_Are my priorities really straight? It's true, I know these people now – they're some of the closest comrades I've ever known. But really, is that the point? Am I here to make friends? _

There were many questions still unanswered for him. How had he ended up transported from Earth in the first place? How long would their fight go on? Was Earth all right? Was he the only one from his time? There were so many things he wanted to know.

But, looking around at the verdant cave, and the pristine waterfall filling the pond below, he couldn't help but be content. He was here for a reason. He had to be. There was nothing he could have done to avert being here, so he might as well follow through with whatever it was he was supposed to do.

"You coming?" HT had turned, and was looking back up at the time-displaced man. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, for now," James called back.

* * *

Over the next several days, James noticed something. Throughout the ordeal of getting settled, making sure there were enough supplies, and generally getting back their bearings, the group seemed to work as a unit. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do – there was no arguing (although a good amount of ribbing), and things got done quickly.

Thanks to Momentai playing around with the abundant plant life, they quickly had the small stone chapel expanded, and fortifications set up. Slop spent most of his time isolated in the bell tower, working wards and spells around the place. He only came down for food at the end of each day. The only people to go up and join him were Momentai and Spryous; Momentai because she was closest to him, and Spryous because he was the only one with the powers to help.

As a result, it quickly became obvious to James that Razen was stepping up to the plate. He would always be the first with a plan, the first to suggest a fix to a problem, and the first to take the initiative. When it was found that the foundation of the chapel was unsteady, he organized Momentai and Asumon (in an alarming, larger form) to rebuild the damaged areas. It didn't seem to James as if he was consciously taking charge – he was just helping when the opportunity arose. James couldn't help but approve: Razen was energetic, and forward – both qualities James had come to know in good commanders.

In regards to the man himself, James wasn't entirely certain. Certainly, Razen was pleasant enough – he was completely placatory when it came to arguments or debates within the group, and Spryous at least had been quick to befriend him. Another strange occurrence – Chloe hadn't taken to ribbing him as much as she had the others, even Slop; whether that was a good or bad sign James did not know.

However, there was another side to the new member: when it came to either his past, or the overall mission of the Coalition, he would become withdrawn, and often had a far-away look that could not be explained. James sensed that there was something troubling their companion, but could not figure out how to bring it up, or how to help at all.

He brought the matter up to HT when they were in the city above, purchasing food. There was no cereal (to James' disappointment), or 'manufactured' goods, but that actually played into James' hands. As the only group member truly used to this kind of food and market-style business, he was in charge of the grocery expeditions. He normally brought HT along – James felt he had the most in common with his fellow soldier, both in age and experience. Besides, HT was quite a good conversation companion when he wanted to be – a drinking buddy as well.

"I'd stay away from it, if I were you," the former SWAT said, examining fruit in a stall. The bustle of the crowd around them was pressing, especially in the crowded alley where the market was inconveniently placed. The towering stone buildings, towers, domes, open-air plazas, all seemed to be concentrated near the center of the city, and the outskirts within the walls, and nearest the waterfall, were much less grand, but just as well built. James was honestly impressed by the masonry and craftsmanship. "If the man's got his secrets, let 'im have them."

"At the same time, I must protest any one of us being... disconnected from the group. It's not good for morale, and in my experience – proves dangerous in a combat situation."

HT tilted his head from side to side, moving on to the next stall. James pointed out the best bread available, and HT picked it up and passed it to him. James tested it, feeling the crust and the age.

"Could be your right," HT responded after a short while. "I've seen it before. We've got to have trust – but at the same time, come on. I know there's some things I wouldn't want to just share with everyone."

"You misunderstand," James said, buying the bread. "I don't want to know his darkest secrets. It's simply my opinion that he needs some kind of support to bear them. As I've come to understand it, this is a stressful job. When I started, everything seemed to come at me faster than I could handle it. Now, of course, it's simpler – but I was quite uncertain and-"

"Uptight," HT agreed. "I guess I see your point. Maybe you should talk to Momentai about it. She's good with that kind of touchy-feely stuff."

The pair moved on through the market. They exited the alley, and found themselves in a plaza where vendors were auctioning off large, reptilian pack animals. The beasts grunted and swayed in their pens nervously.

"What do you think of him, all told?" James asked unexpectedly, as they reached another part of the market.

"What, Razen?"

"Indeed."

HT struggled for a moment to find the right words. They almost passed the butchers, but James caught his friend's sleeve, and pulled him inside. The smell of rotting meat and rusted metal greeted them. HT wrinkled his nose, but James didn't notice.

"He seems alright," HT admitted. "He knows Authorian, so there's gotta be something going on there..."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," HT shrugged. "The only people who know Authorian, in my experience, are the ones that deserve it – the ones that are a cut above. When I went to.... this place, it wasn't everybody who had it, only a few. There's gotta be a reason for that. A reason for Razen having it."

"I see."

"Besides that, he seems to get along with everyone well. He's good at organizing people and getting things done. I can respect that."

"I had noticed that as well-" James began. He was interrupted, however, by a voice from behind them.

"Hey, guys! Holy Freaking Jesus, you walk fast – wait up!"

The two turned to see an irate Chloe pushing through the crowd to catch up with them. "Sorry – he, watch it! Sorry-" she meandered through the mass of bodies. James and HT walked back a ways to meet up with her.

"What is it?" HT asked.

"Got another item to add to the list," she said quickly. It was obvious she had been running to meet up with them, and was breathing heavily. The clothes she wore, like those on HT and James, were much more run-down and archaic than normal – Slop had conferred with Spryous and come up with a spell to disguise them, in order to blend in.

"What?" James asked, a little perturbed. He gestured to the full baskets both he and HT carried. "We already have everything. It's fortunate Slop had actual coinage on his person, or else it would have been very difficult to resupply."

"Bathtub," Chloe said quickly.

HT blinked. "What was that?"

"We need a bathtub."

"Why? Isn't the bond enough?"

Chloe began to count it off on her fingertips. "First, there's no... cover, or anything, out there. You can see people bathing from the main room. Second, I'm _not _going to take a bath or shower, or whatever, in that pond. Do you have any idea what could be in that water?"

"I suppose you'll want to heat the water, as well?" James asked dryly.

"Well, yeah," Chloe admitted. "We can't do that with the pond. Or the waterfall."

"And where are we supposed to get this... bathtub?" James asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I dunno. I just came along to tell you guys. See ya!" She bounded off into the crowd before the other two could stop here.

HT gave James an exasperated look. "Well, we can always set our other bags in the tub, when we carry it."

"I don't believe this is the best idea we've ever pursued."

"Amen."

The two moved off into the crowd, now in pursuit of a bathtub. The sun was crawling through the sky, and was almost to the edge of the wall, where it would fall, and disappear. The waterfalls ran all day and all night, always their distant thundering. The people didn't seem to notice.

The next half-hour was spent searching, but nobody seemed to have any idea where a bathtub could be purchased. In fact, nobody seemed to have any idea as to what it was in the first place.

"This is ridiculous," James finally said, resting on a bench in a small park. HT was biting into a piece of fruit, and leaning against a nearby tree.

"Well, hey, it's for the group, right? I'm sure they'll understand if we can't find one," HT shrugged through a mouthful.

"I suppose. I wish we knew where we were, really."

HT raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, we always jump from one world to the next, but we never really know anything_ about_ them – or even where they are in relation to the others. It's like going into a situation without any intelligence beforehand. And Slop won't tell us, at any rate."

"Won't," HT said, "or doesn't think about it. To be honest, he makes some pretty normal lapses sometimes – in both memory and judgment. You ever noticed?"

James nodded. "Of course, he's still relatively young, correct? I don't expect him to be capable of the same tactical decisions. He has the abilities, and the tricks, and the resources, but that doesn't mean he doesn't still make mistakes. He's still as good a leader as we could expect – he has a plan, and sticks to it."

"Most of the time," HT nodded. "Oh well, what am I talking about? Come on, it's time to head back. My feet are killing me."

James agreed, and the two got up to go. At that moment, Chloe seemed to pop out of nowhere.

"Hey, guys," she greeted them. "Found the tub?"

"Nope," HT said, "and we're not planning to."

"Huh?" Chloe asked, confused. "Why not?"

"It's getting late. We wanna be back before it gets dark out here."

"Aww... Come on! What's so hard about finding a stupid bathtub?"

"There doesn't seem to be any in this world," James said placatorially.

Chloe looked ready to argue, but at that moment, there was a large crash somewhere nearby, and the sound of screams. "What the hell was that?" she asked, looking around.

But HT and James were already on their feet, and dashing to find the source of the noise. When they turned the corner into the plaza, they found a disturbing sight.

It appeared as though a meteorite had smashed through the plaza, leaving a trail of debris, fire, and bodies in its wake. The heat from the crash rose up and out from the crater in the side of the plaza, and the Coalition members could feel it beat their faces.

"Christ," HT muttered.

Then, a large form rose from the crater. It was spindly, and its pitch-black skin was covered in enigmatic glowing designs. It's form let off greasy smoke, and the entire plaza was polluted with it. It's ghastly jaws below empty eyes opened, and let out a screeching call. Its beastly, skeletal arms ended in blades as large as two men.

"There goes the neighborhood," Chloe sighed, coming up to stand next to them.

"What is it?" James asked.

"It's covered in those symbols-" HT pondered, "like the raptors were when we rescued Razen the first time."

"Shattereds," Razen answered, running up to meet them.

"Razen!" Chloe called. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking up on you guys!" Razen said, his sword drawn. "I see I wasn't too late. I had a feeling one of these guys'd show up."

"Why? What are they, exactly?" HT demanded.

"Long story. They're not exactly Servants – they operate differently."

"Hence why it's here during the daylight?" James asked, eying the beast warily.

Razen nodded. "Yeah. Fortunately – I don't know why – but they don't seem to be working for Kuroouja."

"Oh, that's freaking wonderful," Chloe complained. "In that case, let's invite it to a picnic, and give it some housewarming presents."

"I'm not saying it doesn't want to kill us-" Razen grimaced.

"Right," HT nodded. "Anything practical about it?"

The creature, meanwhile, had begun to sniff the air. It's long scythe-tipped limbs began clawing the ground, as if looking for something.

"I think they can sense where power congregates – and their only goal is to absorb it. From what I've learned, all the Shattereds, no matter the form, share a kind of hive-being, unlike the Servants. They all work to absorb energy to keep the rest of the colony alive."

"But why is it here?"

Razen shook his head. "I couldn't tell you. All I know is that they started off in some world way down the list, far away from Auruboth. But now, they keep expanding closer. This must be the next world on the list."

"Great," HT muttered. "Just great timing."

A militia had been called out. Their swords and archaic gunpowder weapons were no match for the creature, which cut them down like so many grains of wheat.

"Ready to get started, then?" Razen asked.

"Where are the others?" James demanded. "They should be up here as reinforcement."

"Social hour's up, boys!" Chloe yelled, backing up. The beast, having sensed them, was advancing.

HT, James, and Razen immediately pulled out firearms, and began unloading into the beasts. It batted away their shots as if they were only an annoyance.

"How come that never works?" HT called. He ran forward, dodging under a swipe of the beast's scythes, and pointing his guns into its soft underbelly. "I'm. Sick. Of. Demons."

The beast paused for a moment, as this new threat appeared. It shivered, and then two more scythed limbs grew from its back, while its hind legs retracted into its body – new limbs that were in a position to attack HT.

Seeing what was happening, Razen ran forward. He kicked at the ground, and a large piece of broken masonry floated up into the air. He punched at it, and it flew at the beast's head, distracting it. It took several steps back, and it hissed loudly at its opponent.

"Throw me a gun!" Chloe called. Razen obliged, tossing her both of his pistols. He drew his sword, and ran forward.

HT, who had been knocked down when the beast stumbled back, got up groggily. He looked over at the beast just in time to dodge away from its next swipe. He rolled out of the way, and then jumped into the air – twisting and pouring more endless lead from his pistols.

James, meanwhile, was looking around for a solution. There had to be a better way. He noticed that, as it moved around and fought back, the creature seemed to be focusing on Razen as much as possible. AN idea began to form.

"Razen! This way!" he called.

Dodging another blow by the enormous beast, and throwing back a couple fireballs, Razen looked over his shoulder. "What? Why?"

"I have a plan!"

"What?"

"Just run over this way!"

Razen began dodging in the direction James was pointing. The beast gave out a large bellow, and pursued, sticking its scythes into the sides of buildings and clambering over rooftops in pursuit – it could not fit in the narrow alleyways.

Satisfied, James ran towards the outer wall. Chloe caught him by the sleeve.

"What are you planning?" she asked.

"Just make sure Razen continues towards the waterfalls!" James said, shrugging the girl off. He dashed off into the buildings. HT, cursing under his breath from a wound he received on his arm, walked up.

"What'd he say?" he asked.

"Keep them moving toward the waterfall," Chloe repeated. She looked to HT. He shrugged.  
"Come on. I guess we're going to play shepherds," he said, heading off after the others. Chloe jogged to catch up with him.

"That reminds me," she said. "Can we get a dog? Like, a sheep dog, or a husky?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Nowayinhell."

Chloe pouted.

* * *

Razen dashed through the streets, pushing past panicked people as the enormous beast above him struggled to reach into the alleyway. It roared its anger, but he kept running.

"Dammit. Why here? Why now?" he grumbled to himself, jumping over a fallen stall.

He jumped too high: with a swipe, the beast swung down its scythe and caught him by the back of his coat. It lifted him up as he struggled, crowing its victory. Razen tried a blast of hurricane-speed winds, but the beast now had him, and it wasn't going to let go. Cackling, it began to draw him closer to a tattoo in the center of its chest – one that glowed brighter the closer he got.

Suddenly, there was a shot. The beast's eye was struck, and it bellowed, dropping Razen. The adventurer took this opportunity, slashing with his poisoned sword at the creature's thighs as he fell. He caught himself with a timely cushion of air, and then threw large boulders composed of masonry at the beast. He looked around to see HT, running up from behind.

"Nice shot!" he called.

"It wasn't too bad," HT said gruffly. He fired another shot, but now the beast was having none of it. It bit the bullet, and swallowed it. "We're supposed to keep moving towards the waterfall!" he told Razen, as the two dodged down another side alley.

"Alright, that doesn't sound too hard," Razen said. The beast crashed down into the alley in front of them, tearing out the two neighboring buildings in the process. "How come its always giant beasts? Huh? Why aren't there ever tiny ones?"

"I've asked myself that question from day one, buddy," HT agreed. Fending off several attacks, the two dodged under the beasts legs, and ran out towards the wall.

* * *

Chloe ran after James. When she finally caught up with him, she found him rigging some kind of net to a long pole.

"I'd ask what you're doing, but I'm afraid you'll tell me," she said.

"Trust me, this will work," James said, ignoring her. Completing his large net, he charged out towards the outer wall.

"I don't get it," Chloe called, chasing after him. "With it cornered against the wall, it'll only cause more problems, right?"

"Look," James said, pointing. "There's a low point in the wall, nearest to the waterfall. That's where we're going."

Chloe followed his gaze. It was true – over the tops of the buildings, and rapidly approaching, she could see a large gap in the wall. "That's pointless – why would they have that?" she wondered aloud.

"Not important," James responded.

They dashed through the streets, always following the sound of the battle raging through the streets. Nobody seemed to eye them strangely – everyone was running, yelling, panicking. The security forces of the city were struggling to maintain order.

They passed up the sound of the battle and left it behind for several moments.

"They must have been held up," James said. He ran on.

Soon, they reached the spot. At the very edge of the city, in the gap between the walls, was simply the end of the pavement. A large canal ran through the center of the city, and spilled out here, over the already rushing waves below. James looked over the edge, and saw the waterfall went down impossibly far – he couldn't see the bottom. The sun was plunging now, it was almost sunset.

"Now what?" Chloe asked.

James didn't answer – he looked around, and saw what he was looking for. There was a stairwell that led down to the lower level of the waterfall viewing area – James had seen it when he had been by the area before. He clambered down the stairwell.

The viewing area hung from the masonry above it, just above the waterfall itself. Below, the white rushing rapids could be seen, plunging out into nothingness. The sound was deafening.

But James could at least see. He saw the shaking of the platform as the beast approached, and saw the sparks fly over the waterfall from the fight above.

A split second – Razen falling through the air, the beast plunging after him. James stuck out the net – the heavy weight of his friends body caught in it, and James dug himself in, trying to pull Razen back. The beast, not so lucky, plunged over the edge and fell, screaming, into the mist below.

HT ran down the stairs, and, seeing the situation, helped James pull Razen back on ground.

"Well, that was fun," Razen breathed heavily. "What do we do next?"

"You all always say that these encounters are fun," breathed James, "but I have yet to enjoy myself during one of them."

The three laughed, and walked back up the stairs, where Chloe was waiting impatiently.

"Come on," she said, "let's just get the food back and eat. I'm starving."

They all nodded, and after Razen agreed, they all made their way back to the hideout, the sun cresting below the waterfalls behind them, the city suddenly quiet with the sound of the evening. The last rays glistened off of the stone domes, but then darkened.

"You know, one of these days, just fighting things as they come at us isn't going to cut it," HT said after a while. They walked back through the alleyways to the entrance to the hideout.

Razen looked at him collectedly. "What do you mean?"

"We'll have to take the fight to them."

"How will you do that without your Duochron?" Razen asked. The other three looked at him strangely. "Wait," he said slowly, "you mean you guys don't know?"

"Know what?"

"To get into Auruboth... you have to meet up with..." he paused. "Nevermind," he sighed. "It can wait until later. Let's just eat."

"I couldn't agree more," Chloe said.

* * *

So that's it. Any comments, questions?


End file.
